Hoyer will not seek reelection this fall, ending a six-decade career atop Maryland politics

by William J. Ford and Steve Crane, Maryland Matters
January 8, 2026

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) will announce Thursday that he will not seek reelection this fall, capping a 60-year career in state and federal politics that saw him become a legendary figure in Maryland politics and the second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House.

Hoyer’s office Wednesday night confirmed the news, first reported by Politico, that the congressman’s 22nd term in Congress will be his last, and that he would announce it on the House floor at 10 a.m. Thursday. Hoyer posted a simple statement on social media Wednesday night, saying only that he will speak on the House floor at that time.

Hoyer’s departure could open up a free-for-all among state Democrats who are now free to run for a seat that was considered Hoyer’s, a well-funded, well-liked and well-connected incumbent who proved impossible to unseat by the few Democrats, and decades of Republicans, who tried.

Some of the Democrats whose names have been mentioned as possible contenders for the now-open 5th District seat include Dels. Adrian Boafo and Nicole Williams, both from Prince George’s County, and Bowie Mayor Tim Adams. Former Del. Jazz Lewis, a Prince George’s Democrat who once served as Hoyer’s campaign manager, was long considered a possible replacement, but his recent decision to step down from the legislature for a job as a lobbyist for the University of Maryland has put that in doubt.

In a brief interview Wednesday night, Williams said she’s giving “strong consideration” to seeking the seat. After confirmation was made that Hoyer would not seek reelection, Williams said she received text messages and phone calls from individuals throughout the state.

“I’m really flattered that people have seen the work that I have done over the years as an elected official, even before I was even serving as a state delegate,” she said. “I do have to think seriously about whether I’m going to formally put my name before the voters of the 5th Congressional District for consideration.”

But she stressed Wednesday it’s all about Hoyer and his legacy for now.

“First and foremost, I just want to thank Congressman 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,” she said. “He is going to leave big shoes for us to fill. This is big news for our state and our nation. I’m just happy to be a witness and a part of it. I have literally seen what he has done for the residents of the 5th Congressional District.”

According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, five Democrats had filed already — some as early as last March — to run for the seat that includes the three Southern Maryland counties of Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s as well as portions of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties.

The will-he-or-won’t-he game has become a biennial exercise for Democrats as Hoyer aged. He will be 87 by the time of the fall election, but appears fit and capable and has been coy when asked directly in recent months, replying with variations of “we haven’t made a decision.” He even danced at his annual bull roast in June.

Hoyer, elected to the U.S. House in 1981, is currently the third-longest serving member of the chamber. He served as the No. 2 Democrat behind Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat with Baltimore roots, from 2007 to 2023, when both Pelosi and Hoyer said they would step down from their leadership posts to make way for a younger generation of Democratic leaders.

But Hoyer’s career in politics began long before he was elected to Congress, when he served from 1962 to 1966 as a staffer in the office of U.S. Sen. Daniel Brewster (D-Md.) — where one of his fellow staffers was Pelosi, the daughter Baltimore Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro Jr. and sister of Thomas D’Alesandro III, who also served as mayor.

Lewis wraps legislative career to lobby for University of Maryland

Hoyer won a seat in the Maryland Senate in 1966 at the age of 27, and became the body’s youngest president in 1975. He lost a primary bid for  lieutenant governor in 1978, as the running mate of then-Acting Gov. Blair Lee III. But Hoyer made his political comeback in 1981 when he won a special election to replace Rep. Gladys Noon Spellman (D), who became incapacitated after suffering a heart attack and subsequently lapsed into a coma.

He’s held the seat ever since. The 5th District then was largely a suburban Prince George’s County district when Hoyer first won it, but it was redrawn after the 1990 Census to include all of Southern Maryland. Still, Hoyer has rarely faced a significant challenge in either configuration of the district.

In the House, he was seen as a moderate counterbalance to the more-liberal Pelosi.

Hoyer’s years of service on the Appropriations Committee — which he returned to after stepping down from leadership — allowed him to look out for his district in terms of funding.

His years of service also made his endorsement a valuable one for Democrats in the state and in Prince George’s County, where a research facility at National Archives II is named for him.

His tenure has also allowed him to foster the careers of many rising Democrats — including freshman Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd), who was an intern in his office — some of whom are expected to be in the hunt to replace him now that he’s leaving.

— This story was updated on Thursday at 8 a.m. to correct Bowie Mayor Tim Adams title.

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.