Two Ghanaian-Americans win seats in US Congress

Two Ghanaian-Americans, Adrian Boafo and Gabe Amo, have won seats in the US Congress in Maryland and Rhode Island, respectively.

Boafo, 32, is a Democrat and a state delegate from Prince George’s County. The Associated Press called Maryland’s 5th District for him at 9:32 p.m. on Tuesday night.

He took 67.9% of the vote to Republican Chris Chaffee’s 32.1% and replaces Steny Hoyer, who is retiring. Boafo will be the district’s first new representative since 1981.

Boafo is a Bowie native who worked under Hoyer, and Hoyer’s former campaign manager became his endorsed successor. He won his party’s nomination in a packed June primary, beating more than 20 Democrats. Gov. Wes Moore and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks also endorsed him.

Before Congress, he sat on the Bowie City Council and served in the Maryland House of Delegates, where he was sworn in in January 2023.

In Rhode Island, Amo, 38, handily defeated two opponents to win a second full term representing the 1st Congressional District. He took 66.5% of the vote, against 29.3% for Republican Kellie Keenan and 4.1% for independent Pedro DeSouza.

Amo is the son of a Ghanaian father and a Liberian mother and grew up in Pawtucket. He first went to Washington after a 2023 special election, and became the first Black candidate elected to Congress from Rhode Island.

Before that, he worked in the Biden White House as deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

For Ghanaians following the American diaspora’s growing role in US politics, the pair mean two voices in the House with direct family ties to the continent.