Adrian Boafo
DemocraticQ1 Maryland residents are facing sharply rising electricity bills driven by a combination of power plant retirements, surging market prices, and rapidly growing demand (including from the proliferation of data centers across the region). If elected, what specific steps will you take to address the causes of high energy costs for Maryland residents and businesses, including data centers?
“I am not waiting to be elected as Congressman to act. It is important to address the needs of Maryland residents and businesses now. When utility bills were crushing people, I was the first legislator to call on the Public Service Commission for a moratorium on rate hikes. I co-led the Break STRIDE Act (HB1253) to protect ratepayers by closing loopholes that allow utility companies to overcharge consumers. I also introduced legislation to reduce energy costs and accelerate the transition to clean energy in buildings, including: the Better Buildings Act (HB0973), to cut fossil fuel dependence in new construction and the G.R.E.E.N. Act (HB0145), creating a no-interest clean energy loan program to help nonprofits lower their energy bills.
I fundamentally believe that Maryland should be a place where the technology economy is built, not just consumed, thus I am a strong advocate for measured and strategic data center development at the federal level. What I’m fighting for is making sure these companies can’t just come in, consume enormous amounts of energy, and pass the cost onto working families. That means real accountability, including renewable energy requirements, proper regulations, and genuine community input before anything gets approved.
I will continue to fight for Maryland families to ensure every community in our district has reliable, affordable energy, by putting ratepayers first and holding utility companies accountable. This also includes making sure that data center developers pay their fair share and consumers aren’t bearing the cost of higher energy as a result of development.”
Q2 Since early 2025, Maryland has lost nearly 25,000 federal jobs (more than any other state) as funding cuts to federal agencies including the NIH, NASA, and NIST take effect. How would you approach strengthening Maryland’s economy, and what steps would you take to ensure that workers across different roles and education levels benefit from those efforts?
“I have personally witnessed the effects of the DOGE agenda, which has dismantled well-known U.S. agencies that provided vital services right here in Maryland. The severe reductions in federal workforce led to immediate disruptions in essential services, have caused irreparable harm to local economies, and triggered a loss of expertise within these agencies. My career in public service revolves around solving problems, meeting the needs of my constituents, and working for the common good—not supporting those who compromise the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of our federal agencies that are crucial for our families and communities.
To protect my district’s economy, my agenda includes an end to reckless government shutdowns and budget cuts that threaten paychecks and hurt our local economy and fully fund the nine federal and military installations in Maryland’s Fifth to ensure they remain engines of job creation, national security, and economic growth for all workers across different roles and education levels. My track record features co-sponsorship of the Maryland Protect our Federal Workers Act of 2025 to provide no-interest loans to support federal workers and their families impacted by layoffs, firings, and federal funding cuts and support of state funding for free transit and energy assistance programs to help federal workers weather government shutdowns and economic uncertainty. It’s why I’m honored to have recently received the endorsement of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal employee union in the country which represents more 225,000 federal workers live in Maryland, with about 53,500 that live in the 5th Congressional District.. I will continue to fight for dignity, safety, and fairness on the job so the government can more effectively serve the American people.”
Q3 Maryland faces public health challenges ranging from stark socioeconomic health disparities, a behavioral health and opioid crisis that disproportionately impacts communities of color, gaps in rural mental health access, and a strained public health infrastructure. What evidence-based policies do you support to improve community health for your constituents?
“Maryland can successfully address public health challenges through evidence-based policies centered on health equity, integrated behavioral health care, and targeted substance use interventions. Key strategies include expanding Health Enterprise Zones in underserved areas, integrating mental health and substance use treatment with primary care, sustaining addiction prevention and recovery funding, and improving early mental health intervention for youth and communities of color. Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-5) has been a leader in addressing our public health challenges through passing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), championing the S.5293 - Health Enterprise Zones Act of 2022, and sponsoring the H.R.8323 - Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act of 2024 to aggressively combat the opioid epidemic and I will continue to build on this important work.”
Q4 Across the state of Maryland, science and STEM education cultivate interest at a lower rate than intended, too few community-college students successfully transfer and complete bachelor’s degrees, and college affordability remains vulnerable to shifts in federal student aid and support. What evidence-based policies do you support to build a strong science and STEM pipeline from public schools and K-12 programs through colleges and universities for the next generation of Marylanders?
“Education is one of the greatest tools for economic mobility in America, and equal access to education has been a top priority for me as a Maryland State Delegate. To achieve the goal of high-quality, debt-free higher education, I believe we should be providing tuition-free higher education at public universities, and support provisions that provide Federal student debt relief for graduates currently struggling with debt. I would champion how Maryland can also strengthen its science and STEM pipeline by using evidence-based policy to reduce inequities, remove transfer barriers, and improve affordability for students. I would endorse key K–12 strategies to include aligning computer science and STEM standards (such as the Maryland Robotics Grant Program) across Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and expanding early Career and Technical Education (CTE) certifications and dual-enrollment opportunities to expose students to STEM pathways before college.
My agenda includes efforts to improve the quality of K–12 public education by investing in schools, increasing teacher pay, and expanding programs that help students succeed; increase funding to Title I, the country’s largest federal K-12 program; restore and expand student loan forgiveness and protect income-driven repayment programs so working families aren’t crushed by lifelong debt; invest in community colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs across Maryland’s Fifth to ensure strong, diverse, and affordable pathways to good-paying jobs; and secure federal investments for Maryland’s four HBCUs to strengthen programs, modernize campuses, and expand opportunity for students across the state. With the recent endorsements of National Education Association (NEA) and Maryland State Education Association (MESA), I am firmly committed to the “grassroots movement we are building, led by educators, community leaders and residents who understand what’s at stake in this election, and who are ready to usher in a new generation of leadership to Congress to fight for working families.”
Q5 What policies, if any, do you support or envision for managing land-based resources in your district (i.e. water, open-space preserves, parks)?
“I am fighting to make Maryland a leader in protecting our natural resources that define our district. I championed Maryland’s RENEW Act (Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather), a landmark climate accountability law that forces massive out-of-state fossil fuel companies to pay for damages caused by climate change, rather than burdening taxpayers. As part of my agenda, I will hold big polluters accountable, protect the Chesapeake Bay and our rivers by fully funding the Chesapeake Bay restoration and strengthening clean water protections. I will support a legislative agenda that prioritizes expanding conservation efforts, opposing increased resource extraction, and ensuring long-term ecological preservation such as Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Conservation Act of 2026 (H.R. 8438).”
Q6 What advisory mechanisms will you implement to ensure that evidence and scientific findings play a crucial role in your policymaking process?
“I believe strong evidence-based policymaking processes should rely on structured systems that prioritize independent expertise, transparency, and ongoing evaluation. One key mechanism is establishing nonpartisan science and technology councils to provide objective recommendations on issues such as public health, climate, and technology. Another is requiring agencies to appoint evaluation and data officers so that policies are guided by clear evidence and measurable learning goals, as referenced in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Public transparency is also essential, including open-data portals that share the research and methods behind proposed policies for public and expert review. Finally, participatory stakeholder engagement and rapid-response research services help ensure policies are equitable, practical, and responsive to emerging challenges.”
Q7 What initiatives will you take to support investment in innovation via federal science funding?
“I am fighting to ensure the United States remains the pro-innovation capital of the world. America’s economic leadership in the 21st century will be defined by innovation. This budget would cut National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That means less support for health care, research, and science. I think we should protect these agencies and keep funding new ideas in innovation.
From artificial intelligence to advanced manufacturing to next-generation financial technologies, the future should be built here in Maryland, creating good-paying jobs, strengthening our communities, and ensuring the United States remains competitive in a rapidly changing economy. I believe innovation policy should be guided by the public interest, ensuring new technologies create opportunity, strengthen consumer protections, and build trust in the digital economy.
Innovation must work for everyone. New technologies should expand opportunity, strengthen our economy, and protect consumers and communities, not concentrate power in the hands of a few corporations. Examples include continued support for research infrastructure in Maryland, including a $65 million project for the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security at the University of Maryland; investments in manufacturing and small business growth through programs tied to the H.R.4346 - CHIPS and Science Act, that includes the
Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the State Small Business Credit Initiative; and upgrades to broadband infrastructure at St. Mary’s College of Maryland to support academic programs and research in data science and artificial intelligence, all initiatives under Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-5).
I sponsored legislation to position Maryland as a leader in the emerging digital economy. I set up a statewide task force to take a close look at blockchain technology, explore how it could support economic growth and public services, and come up with recommendations for responsible innovation in Maryland. I also introduced legislation, the Maryland Financial Innovation Act of 2026 (HB0859), to update financial regulations so they can better keep up with new technologies, protect consumers, strengthen digital security, and support growth in Maryland’s tech economy. And I called on Democratic leaders in Congress to pass clear national crypto rules that protect consumers, give innovators more certainty, and help keep the United States competitive globally.”