Boafo takes Steny Hoyer's seat, Gabe Amo is re-elected, and state lawmakers Bernice Mireku-North and Allen Buansi keep their seats, official results show.

Published 10 Nov 2026, 16:12 GMT

4 min read

Adrian Boafo (left) and Congressman Gabe Amo — Adrian Boafo (left) and Gabe Amo

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Adrian Boafo, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, has won a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He is one of at least four Americans of Ghanaian descent elected or re-elected in the November 3 US elections, a 3News check of official results shows.

The 32-year-old Democrat succeeds Steny Hoyer, the former House Majority Leader, who stepped down from Maryland's 5th Congressional District. Boafo won 211,461 votes (69.77 per cent) to Republican Chris Chaffee's 29.54 per cent, according to unofficial Maryland State Board of Elections results.

"Adrian's parents emigrated from Ghana to the United States," his campaign biography says. They settled in Prince George's County, where he grew up.

The others are Congressman Gabe Amo of Rhode Island and two state legislators, Bernice Mireku-North in Maryland and Allen Buansi in North Carolina. Buansi's re-election had not been reported by the main Ghanaian news sites.

Congress

Adrian Boafo, Maryland's 5th District (new). Boafo worked on Capitol Hill, including for Hoyer, while studying for an MBA at night.

He won a Bowie City Council seat at 25 and has represented District 23 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2023. Hoyer backed him to take over the seat.

Republican Kellie Keenan had 27.48 per cent and independent Pedro DeSouza 3.8 per cent.

His House biography says his father is originally from Ghana and his mother from Liberia. Amo became Rhode Island's first Black member of Congress after a 2023 special election, so this is his second full term. He worked in the White House under Presidents Obama and Biden.

State legislatures

Bernice Mireku-North, Maryland, District 14 (re-elected). "I'm a daughter of Ghanaian immigrants," she says on her campaign site.

She polled 32,400 votes (31.58 per cent) for one of three seats in the Montgomery County district, where no Republican stood. A lawyer, she was first appointed to the House in January 2023. We reported her win earlier today.

Allen Buansi, North Carolina, District 56 (re-elected). Buansi won a third term for Chapel Hill and Carrboro with 35,365 votes (93.11 per cent) against Libertarian Matthew Clements, according to the state Board of Elections' live results.

"So my dad is from Ghana," the civil rights lawyer said in a 2024 oral-history interview. He served on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 2017 to 2021.

A fifth winner, Abena Affum-McAllister, took a District 28 seat in Maryland's Charles County with 37,458 votes. Ghanaian media have described her as Ghanaian-American.

Her campaign materials do not mention Ghana, and 3News could not confirm her family's links independently, so she is not counted here.

Who did not make it

Republican Yahu Blackwell lost a Maryland Senate race with 29.76 per cent. The Ghana News Agency has described him as of Ghanaian descent through his Ga-Dangme ancestry.

Cook County judge Linda Sackey, born to Ghanaian parents according to Ghanaian community media, lost her Democratic primary in March and was not on the November ballot.

How we checked

3News took each result from the state election board's own figures. We counted only people born in Ghana or with a parent from Ghana, in their own words or official biography.

A Ghanaian-sounding name was not enough. All results are unofficial until each state certifies them. If you know of another American of Ghanaian descent who won on November 3, tell us.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Adrian Boafo heads to Congress as four Ghanaian-Americans win in US midterms

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