MD-05 Candidates Call on Wes Moore, Steny Hoyer, Angela Alsobrooks to Urge Boafo to Reject $8 Million in Dark Money
For Immediate Release • Monday, June 15, 2026
~ Adrian Boafo is benefiting from nearly $8 million in Super PAC spending backed by crypto billionaires and AIPAC-aligned groups ~
~ Candidates also raise concerns about serious conflicts of interest between Delegate Boafo’s lobbying and legislative activity ~
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD – Today, leading candidates in Maryland’s 5th congressional district—Rushern Baker, Quincy Barebee, Harry Dunn—called on Maryland political leaders Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, and U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer to publicly urge Adrian Boafo to reject the nearly $8 million in outside spending flooding this race from crypto billionaires and AIPAC-aligned Super PACs.
“Today, we are putting our own campaigns aside and coming together because this election is bigger than any one candidate,” the candidates said jointly. “Voters deserve to know what is happening in this race. When nearly $8 million in outside money floods into a congressional primary, the public has every right to ask why — and what those special interests expect in return.”
“Adrian Boafo can claim he has not coordinated with these Super PACs, but nothing is stopping him from publicly rejecting this spending and telling these groups to stop trying to buy this seat,” the candidates continued.
Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen warnedMaryland voters about the unprecedented flood of outside spending in the MD-05 race. Today, the candidates called on Governor Moore, Senator Alsobrooks, and Congressman Hoyer to join Senator Van Hollen in speaking out against the influence of dark money and special interests in Democratic primaries.
“We applaud Senator Van Hollen for doing the right thing and sounding the alarm about the dangerous role outside money is playing in this election,” the candidates added. “We are calling on Governor Moore, Senator Alsobrooks, and Congressman Hoyer to answer directly: Do you support nearly $8 million in outside spending from crypto billionaires and AIPAC in a Maryland Democratic primary? If not, they should say so publicly and call on Adrian Boafo to reject it.”
The candidates highlighted that this race is not just about the unprecedented level of outside spending—it is also about the serious conflict-of-interest questions surrounding the overlap between that spending and Delegate Adrian Boafo’s lobbying and legislative activity.
Boafo spent four years as a registered federal lobbyist for Oracle while serving in the Maryland House of Delegates. During that time, he sponsored multiple blockchain and digital asset bills in Maryland, including legislation to expand legal protections for digital assets and limit state regulation, while using his official position to urge congressional Democrats to advance a federal crypto regulatory framework. At the same time, Boafo appeared on nearly every quarterly Oracle federal lobbying disclosure filing advocating on technology and digital trade issues—the same industries now fueling millions in outside spending to boost his campaign.
“Given the scale of outside spending in this race, Maryland voters deserve answers about whether Governor Moore, Senator Alsobrooks, and Congressman Hoyer believe this overlap between lobbying and legislative activity is appropriate and whether they are comfortable continuing to support his candidacy,” the candidates said.
CONTACTS:
Madeleine Russak (Baker) (626) 390-2158
Monica Biddix (Barebee) (828) 640-0877
Kerry Billings (Dunn) (301) 814-5256
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