Prince George’s Delegate Nicole Williams Enters Maryland 5th District Race

Nicole A. Williams, 48, the Maryland state delegate who represents District 22 in Prince George’s County, filed candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Jan. 16 and formally announced her bid for Maryland’s open 5th Congressional District seat on Feb. 23 in Prince George’s County. In her announcement Williams said, “As our community seeks to replace the titan who is Congressman Hoyer, I believe that I have the skills, experience and track record to hit the ground running in Congress and advance the issues most important to Maryland families.”

The seat opened after Rep. Steny Hoyer announced his retirement on Jan. 8 following a 46-year career representing the district. Williams’ Jan. 16 FEC filing came eight days after Hoyer’s retirement announcement; Hoyer later endorsed Del. Adrian Boafo as his chosen successor on Jan. 23.

The Democratic primary is set for June 23, 2026, with the general election on Nov. 3, 2026. Williams joins a crowded field that includes Del. Adrian Boafo, Prince George’s County Councilmember Wala Blegay, former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, State Sen. Arthur Ellis, retired Navy officer Terry Jackson, volunteer firefighter Harry Jarin, and Quincy Bareebe, who ran unsuccessfully against Hoyer in 2024. Ballotpedia, as cited in coverage of the race, places Williams against 12 other Democrats for a total of 13; Maryland Matters reports that 14 Democrats have either set up FEC campaign committees or filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections and that Harry Dunn’s entry will bring the total to 15, while also noting three independents and two Republicans have filed to run.

Williams is an attorney who assumed office in the Maryland House of Delegates on Dec. 7, 2019; Ballotpedia shows her current term ending Jan. 13, 2027. Her political background includes filing to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010, serving as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention for Barack Obama, graduating from Emerge Maryland in 2014 and running for the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee, and being elected 3rd vice chair of the Maryland Democratic Party in Dec. 2018 following a 2018 delegate race in which she finished fourth with 13.8 percent of the vote. Williams served as a delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention pledged to Elizabeth Warren and was an at-large delegate to the 2024 convention pledged to Kamala Harris.

On policy, Wikipedia and Ballotpedia records note Williams attended a pro-choice rally at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis in January 2022 and introduced legislation during the 2022 legislative session intended to bar civil or criminal charges against people who experience miscarriages, stillbirths, or who undergo abortion services. Ballotpedia’s profile also references a table of bills she has sponsored drawn from BillTrack50.

Maryland State Treasurer Dereck Davis has endorsed Williams; in a statement Davis said, “I’ve known Nicole for more than twenty years and I’ve seen her commitment to creating economic opportunities for Maryland families. She understands the reality facing too many families from unaffordable groceries to housing costs and federal job losses. I know she will be the happy warrior that we need in Congress. I look forward to her representing us.” Hoyer’s Jan. 23 endorsement of Boafo frames an early contest between Williams’ emerging support and the congressman’s preferred successor.

With the June 23 Democratic primary approaching, Williams will campaign from her base in Prince George’s County while the field sorts fundraising, endorsements and ballot access; filing records and candidate rolls from Ballotpedia, the FEC and the Maryland State Board of Elections will determine the final list of challengers and how the race develops.