Two politicians of Ghanaian descent have secured victories in the 2026 United States midterm elections, winning seats in Congress and highlighting the presence of Ghanaian descendants in American politics.
Gabriel Felix Kofi Amo and Adrian Boafo emerged victorious in their respective congressional races on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, representing Rhode Island and Maryland. Gabe Amo, who is of Ghanaian and Liberian heritage, defeated two challengers to retain his seat in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District.
The Democratic congressman, whose father is Ghanaian and mother is Liberian, secured more than 65% of the vote, while Republican challenger Kellie Keenan received 27 % . Independent candidate Pedro DeSouza garnered 3.7%.
Gabriel first entered Congress following a 2023 special election, becoming the first Black person elected to represent Rhode Island in the US House of Representatives. He subsequently won his first full term in the 2024 general election. Before his election to Congress, Amo held positions in the administrations of former US presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Under the Biden administration, he served as a special assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Meanwhile, Adrian Boafo, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, has also won Maryland’s 5th Congressional District seat, succeeding longtime Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer, who is retiring after representing the district since 1981.
A Bowie native, Boafo previously worked under Hoyer before being elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2022. He had earlier secured a seat on the Bowie City Council by defeating an incumbent and subsequently served as Mayor Pro Tem. His congressional bid received endorsements from Hoyer, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and US Senator Angela Alsobrooks.
Among the key issues featured in Boafo’s campaign were increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, reducing taxes for working and middle-class families, banning members of Congress from trading stocks, and supporting the passage of the Equality Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act.
Source: Ameyaw Debrah
