Senator Sarah Elfreth, Delegate Shaneka Henson and Delegate Dana Jones File for Re-election

Annapolis, MD (September 8, 2021) – On September 7, 2021, Senator Sarah Elfreth (D--District 30), Delegate Shaneka Henson (D--District 30A) and Delegate Dana Jones (D--District 30A), representing Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, filed Tuesday for re-election. The State will hold its Primary Election on June 28, 2022 and the General Election on November 8, 2022.

“In these uncertain times of the pandemic and partisan politics, District 30 has a proven team of legislators working for our community,” said Senator Elfreth. “I am proud to be running for re-election with Delegates Henson and Jones. Together, we have already helped pass landmark legislation in Maryland, aided and advocated for over 5,000 constituents who contacted our offices, and secured millions in funding each year for critical local projects. It’s been the honor of my life to represent District 30 in the State Senate -- and there is work ahead to continue to protect our environment, keep our communities safe, and support Maryland families and small businesses.”

Delegate Henson said about seeking a second term: “I am excited to seek re-election with Senator Elfreth and Delegate Jones. I believe we are an experienced and dynamic ticket.” Delegate Henson added, “As a product of Maryland’s public schools, I am committed to supporting our students' success in the classroom and in the community. I will continue to support the production of affordable housing, pass laws that make our communities and workplaces safer, increase opportunities for small business growth, protect our greenspaces, and tackle systemic inequities like gender pay gaps and diversity in higher education.”

“I am proud to have served the constituents of District 30a through the past year-and-a-half with such effective legislators as Senator Elfreth and Delegate Henson,” said Delegate Jones. “I am eager to continue my work on the issues that matter to the residents of our district, especially improving schools, protecting voting rights, restoring the Chesapeake Bay, supporting those in need and increasing government transparency and accountability.”

Senator Elfreth and Delegates Henson and Jones will be hosting regular outdoor neighborhood gatherings with constituents on Sundays beginning in October. More information to be provided and can be found on their websites: www.SarahElfreth.com, www.ShanekaHenson.com, www.DanaJones30A.com.

Background:

Elected in 2018 to represent Annapolis and southern Anne Arundel County, Senator Sarah Elfreth is the youngest woman ever elected to the Maryland Senate. She worked with colleagues across the aisle and around the State to pass 39 bills she sponsored in her first three legislative sessions. These new laws range from creating Maryland’s first Office of Statewide Broadband, investing in libraries, small businesses and critical prenatal care for Maryland mothers, and protecting oysters and clean water. Elfreth serves on the Budget & Taxation Committee, and chairs the Anne Arundel County Senate Delegation, Pensions Subcommittee and Joint Committee on Administrative and Legislative Review. She is one of two Maryland senators on the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Commission. Sarah graduated, magna cum laude, from Towson University and holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from The Johns Hopkins University. Prior to her time in the Senate, Sarah served as the Director of Government Affairs for the National Aquarium and as Director of University Projects, focused on economic development in university towns, for Margrave Strategies. Outside of the Senate, Sarah teaches political science and public policy at Towson University’s Honors College and lives in downtown Annapolis.

Delegate Shaneka Henson was appointed to the House of Delegates in 2019, succeeding the late Speaker Michael E. Busch to represent District 30A. Significant laws sponsored by Henson include: inspection and licensing requirements for Annapolis public housing, debt relief for child support obligors, and establishing a partnership between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and Maryland law schools to provide scholarships for law school success. In October 2019, Speaker Adrienne Jones appointed Delegate Henson to serve on the Appropriations Committee (2019-present), and the Maryland Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Policy and Funding Committee (2020-present). In June 2020, Henson was appointed to Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh’s Access to Justice Housing Affordability Task Force (2020-2021) to combat the anticipated surge in evictions and foreclosures resulting from job loss due to the pandemic. In January 2021, Delegate Henson accepted appointments in the Anne Arundel County Delegation to chair the Public Health Subcommittee (2021-present), and co-chair the Capital Budget Subcommittee (2021-present). Delegate Henson was previously elected to the Annapolis City Council, serving from 2017 to 2019. Her campaign garnered endorsements from the Sierra Club of Maryland and League of Conservation Voters of Anne Arundel County. Henson served as chair of the Housing and Human Welfare Committee (2017-2019) and also chaired the Housing & Community Development Committee (2017-2019). Significant laws sponsored by Henson include a continuity of government masterplan, limited municipal liability for special events, and fair housing/source of income discrimination prohibition. An attorney since 2010, Delegate Henson continues to practice law and is owner of a law practice based in Annapolis, Maryland, where she lives with her husband and son.

Just days after a statewide stay-at-home order was issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Delegate Dana Jones was selected by the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee and appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to fill the seat of Delegate Alice Cain to represent District 30A. Before joining the Maryland Legislature, she spent 23 years working with elected officials throughout the country, including as a Legislative Assistant to then-Maryland Congressman Ben Cardin on Capitol Hill. All four bills sponsored by Jones passed in the Maryland House, and two were quickly enacted, including a tax deduction of up to $1000 for qualified diaper and hygiene product donations, and a government transparency bill to help create a more comprehensive report on the tax burden in our state. She serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, as well as both the Election Law and Education Subcommittees. In 2020, Jones was selected by Speaker Adrienne Jones to serve on Maryland’s Student Data Privacy Council, which sought ways to ensure that students’ personal data is protected from fraud, theft and intrusive marketing. Delegate Jones and her husband are active with numerous local community organizations in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, and most weekends can be found volunteering or at a youth sports event for their son.

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