Dana Jones | |
---|---|
![]() Jones in 2023 | |
Member of the MarylandHouseofDelegates from the 30A district | |
Assumed office May 1, 2020 Servingwith Shaneka Henson | |
Appointed by | Larry Hogan |
Preceded by | Alice J. Cain |
Personal details | |
Born | Dana Celeste Jones June 26,1976 Cumberland,Maryland,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Jude Meche |
Children | 1 |
Education | Towson University (BS) |
Website | Campaign website |
Dana Celeste Jones (born June 26,1976) is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 30A. [1]
Jones was born in Cumberland,Maryland,on June 6,1976. [1] Her mother was a longtime member of the Allegany County Democratic Central Committee and her father was the president of the local American Postal Workers Union. [2] Jones graduated from Fort Hill High School and attended Towson University,where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in sociology in 1998. [1]
Jones first became involved in politics while in college,where she was a member of the university's College Democrats organization [2] and worked as a campaign manager for Robert Zirkin's 1998 House of Delegates campaign. [1] Afterwards,she worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Representative Ben Cardin until 2001,when she began working as a senior researcher for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and later for EMILY's List. Jones has worked as an independent political consultant since 2013. [1]
During the 2018 Anne Arundel County executive election,Jones worked on Steuart Pittman's campaign and helped him prepare for debates against Steve Schuh. [2]
In April 2020,following the resignation of state delegate Alice J. Cain at the end of the 2020 legislative session,Jones applied to serve the remainder of Cain's term in the Maryland House of Delegates. [3] The Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee voted to recommend Jones to the seat later that month, [4] and she was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan on April 23,2020. [5]
Jones was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on May 1,2020, [6] and was elected to a full four-year term in 2022. [7] She was a member of the Ways and Means Committee from 2020 to 2023,afterwards serving in the Appropriations Committee. [1] In 2023,she swapped assignments with state delegate Shaneka Henson after questions were raised about a potential conflict of interest involving Henson's legal work for a nonprofit which received state funding. [8]
Jones was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention,pledged to Kamala Harris. [9]
In November 2024,after state senator Sarah Elfreth won election to the U.S. House of Representatives,Jones said she would apply to serve the remainder of Elfreth's term in the Maryland Senate. [10] Jones campaigned on her legislative record and highlighted her work toward reproductive health and LGBTQ+ rights while contending for the seat. [11] She also said that she planned to run for the Maryland Senate in 2026 if the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee decided against appointing her to the seat. [12] The Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee nominated state delegate Shaneka Henson to fill the remainder of Elfreth's term on January 4,2025,by a vote of 10–9. [13]
During the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee's meeting to select a candidate to fill Elfreth's Senate seat,Jones faced allegations that she had failed to report a payment or in-kind contribution to the Annapolis Maritime Museum—a location for which she had sponsored a $150,000 bond request a year earlier—for renting its event venue for an October 2023 fundraiser. Jones rejected these accusations and later provided Maryland Matters with images of two canceled checks related to the event,with one showing that her campaign committee paid the museum $850 for the use of the venue for the fundraiser;however,these checks included Jones's signature at the bottom of the payments,suggesting that she may have violated state campaign finance laws that prohibit candidates from having access to campaign funds or disbursing funds. [14]
Rick Hutzell of The Baltimore Banner has described Jones as a progressive. [12] Upon being sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates,Jones said she would prioritize health care,small business,and food insecurity. [6] In August 2020,she participated in a protest supporting a federal bill to provide the United States Postal Service with $25 billion in funding ahead of the 2020 presidential election. [15]
During the 2021 legislative session,Jones introduced a bill to regulate school bus capacity. [16]
In April 2021,Jones participated in a rally to celebrate the sentencing of Derek Chauvin. [17]
In October 2021,Jones participated in a protest in Annapolis to support abortion rights amid red states passing bills to ban abortions. [18] During the 2023 legislative session,she voted for Question 1,a voter referendum that established a right to reproductive freedom in the Constitution of Maryland,and campaigned heavily for the referendum during the 2024 elections. [10]
During the 2022 legislative session,Jones introduced legislation to exempt baby care products from the state sales tax. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan. [19]
In 2023,Jones introduced a bill to establish a State Disaster Recovery Fund to help jurisdictions recover from natural disasters. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. [20] [21] She also supported a bill requiring the Maryland Department of Health to cover the cost of certain at-home therapies for children facing complex mental health issues. [22]
Jones is married to her husband,Jude Meche. Together,they have a son. [6]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Shaneka Henson (incumbent) | 8,665 | 52.2 | |
Democratic | Dana Jones (incumbent) | 7,925 | 47.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Shaneka Henson (incumbent) | 20,364 | 32.1 | |
Democratic | Dana Jones (incumbent) | 19,710 | 31.1 | |
Republican | Doug Rathell | 12,948 | 20.4 | |
Republican | Rob Seyfferth | 10,366 | 16.3 | |
Write-in | 66 | 0.1 |
Maryland's Legislative District 30 is one of 47 districts in the state for the Maryland General Assembly. It covers part of Anne Arundel County,Maryland,it is home to Maryland's capital;the city of Annapolis. Until the 2010 census and subsequent redistricting,voters in this district selected three Delegates every four years to represent them in the Maryland House of Delegates. Starting with the 2014 election,the district was divided into sub-districts 30A and 30B.
Edward R. Reilly is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the Maryland Senate,appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to represent District 33 after State Senator Janet Greenip resigned. He then ran and was elected in November 2010 to his first full term.
Terri Lynn Hill is an American politician who serves as a member to the Maryland House of Delegates since 2015,first representing the 12th district from 2015 to 2023 and then district 12A since 2023.
Clarence K. Lam is an American politician and physician who has served in the Maryland Senate representing the 12th district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party,his district stretches across Anne Arundel and Howard counties and includes parts of Columbia and Glen Burnie. Lam previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2019.
Seth Adam Howard is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 30B since 2015.
Mark Soo Chang is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 32 since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party,he unsuccessfully ran in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election in Maryland's 3rd congressional district,losing to state senator Sarah Elfreth in the Democratic primary.
Sid A. Saab is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates,representing district 33.
Sarah Kelly Elfreth is an American politician who is serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 3rd congressional district since 2025. She previously served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing the 30th district from 2019 to 2025.
Shaneka Tarae Johnson is an American politician and attorney who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing the 30th district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party,she served Maryland House of Delegates representing District 30A from 2019 to 2025,and as an alderwoman on the Annapolis City Council from 2017 to 2019.
Michael J. Rogers is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates,representing Maryland's District 32 in Anne Arundel County. He unsuccessfully ran in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election in Maryland's 3rd congressional district,losing to state senator Sarah Elfreth.
Juanita Sandra Bartlett is an American politician and lawyer who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 32 since 2019.
Alice J. Cain is a Democratic politician and education policy expert who was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 30A in Anne Arundel County from January 2019 to March 2020.
Heather Alice Bagnall Tudball is an American politician from the Democratic Party and is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing parts of Anne Arundel County. She represented the 33rd district from 2019 to 2023,afterward being redrawn into District 33C.
Brian Alan Chisholm is an American politician who represents northern Anne Arundel County in the Maryland House of Delegates. A member of the Republican Party,he represented District 31B from 2019 to 2023,afterwards representing the 31st district.
Rachel Parker Muñoz is an American politician and lawyer who was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party,she first represented the 33rd district from 2021 to 2023,and then the 31st district until her resignation in 2025.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland were held on November 5,2024,to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Maryland,one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2024 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections. The Democratic and Republican primary elections were held on May 14,2024.
Gary Simmons is an American politician and retired military law enforcement officer. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 12B in Anne Arundel County,Maryland.
Andrew Christopher Pruski is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 33A in Anne Arundel County,Maryland. He was previously a member of the Anne Arundel County Council from 2014 to 2022,serving as its chair from 2018 to 2019 and its vice-chair from 2021 to 2022.
Stuart Michael Schmidt,Jr. is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 33B in Anne Arundel County,Maryland.
LaToya Nkongolo is an American politician who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 31st district. A member of the Republican Party,she unsuccessfully ran for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education in 2024,losing to incumbent school board member Dana Schallheim.