Meet the Ghanaian Politicians Who Secured Victory Over Trump’s People in the US Midterms

• Seven candidates of African origin contested U.S. congressional seats during the 2026 midterm elections, including two politicians of Ghanaian descent
• Adrian Boafo, 32, ran for a Maryland seat vacated by former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, whose campaign he had previously managed
• Gabe Amo, who made history in 2023 as the first Black person elected to Congress from Rhode Island, was seeking re-election in a competitive race

Seven candidates of African origin contested seats in the US Congress as Americans voted in the 2026 midterm elections.

Among the seven were two politicians of Ghanaian origin who came out on the right end of their various races.

The Hill reported Adrian Boafo, 32, won a Maryland congressional seat previously held by former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a race reported on by The Hill.

Boafo's connection to that seat runs deep: he had earlier served as Hoyer's campaign manager before mounting his own bid. His parents emigrated from Ghana to the United States in the 1980s, and he built his political career through service on the Bowie City Council and in the Maryland House of Delegates.

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Adrian Boafo's Campaign and Controversies

Boafo ran on a platform centred on reducing the cost of living, banning congressional stock trading, expanding access to childcare and education, environmental protection, and investment in emerging technologies.

His campaign was not without controversy, however.

Fellow Democrats criticised him for accepting millions of dollars in donations from two influential organisations: the pro-crypto super PAC Protect Progress and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's United Democracy Project.

Gabe Amo Seeks Second Term in Rhode Island

Gabe Amo, 38, also emerged successfully from his race in Rhode Island, where he was defending the seat he claimed in 2023 to become the first Black person elected to Congress from that state.

Born to a Ghanaian father and a Liberian mother, Amo previously served in the administrations of former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden before entering elected office.

With 97% of votes counted by 10 p.m., the Rhode Island Board of Elections showed Amo commanding 68% of the vote. His Republican challenger, Kellie Keenan, was trailing with 28%, while independent candidate Pedro DeSouza attracted just 4% of ballots cast.

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Black woman makes history in US election

YEN.com.gh reported that Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, was elected governor of Georgia, making her the first Black woman to serve as chief executive of any US state.

The 56-year-old Democrat defeated Rick Jackson, a billionaire entrepreneur and political newcomer who had entered the race late, to claim a state whose history is deeply intertwined with the legacies of slavery, segregation and the American civil rights movement.

Source: YEN.com.gh