'Free-for-all' unleashed as longtime lawmaker announces abrupt exit

Hoyer departure opens scramble for his seat among Democrats long waiting in the wings

by William J. Ford and Christine Condon, Maryland Matters
January 9, 2026

Rep. Steny Hoyer’s announcement that he will not seek reelection to the 5th District seat that he has held for the last 45 years is expected to make an already crowded race more crowded. Much more crowded.

“It will probably unleash a bit of a free-for-all among folks who see that open seat now and would like to have a shot at serving in Congress – knowing that it would probably, if they win, be a safe seat for them for as long as they want to hold onto it,” said Todd Eberly, a professor of political science and public policy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where Hoyer serves on the Board of Trustees.

Even before Hoyer bowed out, nine people had filed to run in the 5th District, a Southern Maryland district that includes parts of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties and all of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. As of Friday, there were five Democrats, two unaffiliated candidates and one Republican signed up for the seat, according to the state Board of Elections. A second Republican candidate who filed in April withdrew in October.

A number of notable elected officials may also get into the race. Prince George’s Democratic Dels. Adrian Boafo and Nicole Williams and Bowie Mayor Tim Adams have all been mentioned as possible candidates, should the seat come open, and there are likely others.

Besides getting more choices, 5th District voters — Democrats, at least — will also likely get a broader range of choices as Hoyer, a long a centrist Democrat, makes room for younger and probably more progressive candidates, experts say.

David Karol, an associate professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park said Hoyer was a mainstream Democrat who wanted to remain appealing to centrists. But the district has changed, Karol said, with larger numbers of minority voters, as has Washington, where increased political polarization is driving candidates farther to the right and left.

“His positioning reflected the environment in which he came up politically, and that was the way it was into his 40s and even early 50s,” Karol said. “But I think that his successor is likely to be African American, and not likely to have centrist leanings.”

‘We must respect and love one another’: Steny Hoyer tells the US House he’s retiring

Hoyer’s colleague, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) agreed.

“He almost certainly is going to be replaced by somebody more progressive than he is,” Raskin said. “Steny is definitely more conservative than the center of gravity within the Democratic caucus now. I mean, he is the product of a different political generation.”

While Hoyer’s successor may be ideologically distinct, that candidate would do well to follow Hoyer’s model of community service, Raskin said.

“In fairness to Steny, I think that they will certainly try to emulate his record of being connected to the community, and committed to strong constituent service,” Raskin said.

Even though it’s Hoyer’s seat, leading Democrats in Congress may not try to tip the scales in favor of one candidate, because the seat is in a safe district, Karol said. In the 2024 election, there were 2.5 registered Democrats for every registered Republican in the district, according to a board of elections report.

“In some cases, the party establishment, such as it is, tries to consolidate around one person, but that often happens when it’s a competitive district and they’re trying to get the candidate who can beat the other side and hold the seat. That’s not really a concern here,” Karol said.

Two Democratic challengers from Anne Arundel County – Quincy Bareebe and Harry Jarin, both of whom have been running since October – released statements Thursday thanking Hoyer for his decades of service in Congress.

“Congressman Hoyer’s retirement marks the close of a historic chapter in Maryland’s public life,” said Bareebe, who runs a caregiving and assisted living businesses, and was one of three Hoyer challengers in 2024. “I am deeply thankful for his decades of commitment to our communities and for the example he has set for all who believe public service is about building a better future together.”

Jarin, 36, a volunteer firefighter, echoed those statements in an interview Thursday afternoon, crediting Hoyer for making a “very tough decision to pass the reins to a new generation.” But Jarin focused mostly on improvements needed in the Democratic Party as a whole, such as choosing candidates who don’t operate the same way as Hoyer.

“Our old way of doing politics, that is what created the conditions for a fascist movement to gain power in this country,” Jarin said. “The ideal that we would just try to hit the reset button and reset American politics back to the way we operated 10 or 20 years ago, frankly that’s insane. We need a very different path forward.”

‘There’s no one that doesn’t love Steny’; official Maryland reacts to Hoyer’s retirement

Among other potential contenders, Williams told Maryland Matters on Wednesday night that she’s giving “strong consideration” to a run, before thanking Hoyer for “all of his years of service to Prince George’s County, to the 5th Congressional District, to the state of Maryland and really to the nation. He is going to leave big shoes for us to fill.”

Boafo worked several years ago as Hoyer’s campaign manager, one of many current Democratic officials in the state who worked for Hoyer during his 60 years in elected office.

“I saw up close his distinct warmth toward everyone he encountered, his dedication to fighting for what’s right, and inimitable ability to assess the toughest challenges and win for the people,” Boafo said in a statement. “Maryland and this country is better because of Steny Hoyer’s service. May God bless his well-earned retirement.”

As for whom Hoyer might support to replace him, he’s not saying right now.

“I have some thoughts, but I’m not going to discuss them today,” he said. “We’ll see who’s running.

“There’s obviously going to be people who are thinking about running, who have been very close to me and have been very helpful to me through the years. I’ll take a look,” Hoyer said. “At some point in time, I may tell my friends and neighbors, i.e. their future constituents, who I think would be good to follow in my footsteps.”

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org.