The Democratic establishment and the crypto industry are intervening in a competitive Maryland Democratic primary to back a lobbyist who has been working for the tech giant Oracle while simultaneously serving as a state lawmaker.According to federal campaign finance records reviewed by the Lever, a deep-pocketed crypto super PAC is now spending $300,000 to support the lobbyist’s candidacy — one of the largest cash infusions the group has made so far this election cycle.Democrat Adrian Boafo worked as a top lobbyist at Oracle, a cloud-computing tech firm cofounded by billionaire and GOP megadonor Larry Ellison, as recently as the final quarter of 2025. For more than half of the nearly five years he has been at the company, he has held public office in the Maryland House of Delegates. His LinkedIn page still lists Oracle as one of his current employers.Now, Boafo is vying for the seat of retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer’s (D) in Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District. Although the primary field is crowded, Boafo, who formerly worked as Hoyer’s campaign manager, won Hoyer’s endorsement as his successor, making him a front-runner. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) has also thrown his support behind Boafo.The significant media buy by the Democratic crypto influence group Protect Progress — $303,641 over the last week — is a sign that the crypto industry, which engaged in massive political spending in the 2024 elections, is trying to tip the scales in favor of its chosen candidates in safely Democratic districts.Per Federal Election Commission records, the outside spending group spent $60,000 last week on direct mailers for Boafo and an additional $240,000 on advertising.There are indications that the Democratic establishment is now lining up behind Boafo as well.While Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pledged that the party would not get directly involved in primaries for safe blue seats, Julie Merz, the executive director of the Democratic…
