A Jamaican-born legislator in the United States has decided to make a bid for a congressional seat, saying he is driven by a desire to improve the lives of his constituents in Maryland through strong leadership.

Senator Arthur Ellis, who has served two terms in Maryland State Senate, is competing in the Democratic primary scheduled for June 23, 2026, hoping to succeed retiring long-time congressman Steny Hoyer as the representative for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District.

Ellis, who was first elected in 2018, told the Jamaica Observer that he served in the US Air Force as a second lieutenant before entering politics “to get a few things done”.

“I just kind of saw, I guess, eight years ago that my predecessor was not really listening to the people in our county — the southern Maryland area. The senator [at the time] was not responsive to our needs. So myself, neighbours, and friends, we talked and I decided to run for the seat, and they really backed me and gave me the victory,” Ellis told the Observer last Wednesday.

“I’m an accidental politician. So I’m not doing it to pay my bills. It’s just a continuation of service, so I am able to really see what needs to be done, because, in my district, a congressional district, a congressman that’s been in office for 40-plus years decided to retire and create what’s called an open seat. So after talking to my friends and neighbours, I believe, and they believe that I can win to really get things done. So I decided to give up a safe Senate seat that people re-elected me to and to go into a new position,” Ellis said.

Highlighting his achievements as a senator, Ellis said that if his quest for Congress is successful, his initiatives can be continued on a larger scale.

“I funded a US$3-billion to US$5-billion future project to bring a train system to my district to connect us with the Washington, DC, train system. Maternal health, I put in several policies to increase the positive outcome when it comes to moms, especially black moms having babies. Previously, Maryland had a score of F when it came to maternal health. We’ve taken that from an F to a C-plus. A lot of the progress is due to my leadership and the bills I’ve put in,” Ellis said.

He explained that he has a number of additional projects set to be undertaken that will be beneficial to “not just Marylanders, but all Americans”.

“As a congressman I can do more for people. It just needs federal funding. I always say the state budget is, well, US$72 billion this year. The US federal budget is like around two-and-a-half trillion dollars. It’s such a large amount of money that we have to really get more things done and to create more benefits for my constituents,” he argued.

Born in Portland, Jamaica, in 1961, Ellis is acutely aware of the plight of immigrants. As such he is annoyed by the Donald Trump Administration’s immigration policy, which he described as “very draconian” and “very much anti-immigrant”.

He is also opposed to the US Government’s move to shutter the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

“A lot of things the US Government used to do to help the developing world and third world countries have been disrupted,” he argued, adding that bringing back organisations such as USAID is very crucial to having robust policies.

Arguing that, “America is built on the backs of immigrants,” Ellis insists that a comprehensive immigration reform policy with fair quotas, free of discrimination based on race, is needed to have an orderly immigration system.

“I know Jamaica has a robust farm labour programme with Canada and not so robust with the US. I have relatives still in Jamaica who come up every year to pick apples in the US on an orderly visa process. They come up, they pick apples for three, four months, and then they go back to Jamaica. The next year, the same thing. They love it and the opportunity there,” he said, adding that more similar opportunities are needed.

“I have met Jamaicans across the country who are here on different visa programmes, working in the hospitality industry. I met some Jamaicans when I went skiing in Colorado a few years ago. They were there on work visas to really support the ski industry and the labour they need. So we need to open up more opportunities like that for Jamaicans and other nationalities to come to the US to work and go home and to go back and forth and to make it more affordable, instead of high visa costs and high application costs,” he said, adding that the visa process needs to be more transparent.

“Individuals who go to the US Embassy should be able to pay their money and get a visa right then and there, once they are properly vetted and they don’t have a criminal record. It should not be, well, you are denied without a valid reason. That’s unacceptable,” he said.

According to Ellis, with the implementation of federal laws, issues like these can be addressed.

Pointing to the recent spike in gas and food prices across the US due to the ongoing Iranian war, Ellis said if he is elected to Congress he intends to champion an end to conflict.

“I hope to be in the majority of Democrats in January. Congress can cut off funds for the war in Iran and say no more money for bombs, or bullets, or fuel for ships or aeroplanes, and therefore end the war. You end the war, the Strait of Hormuz opens, and the price will come down on so many goods, including our food stuff,” he said.