Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wanted Anne Arundel County Democrats to know he likes Dylan Behler.

“The governor has received a lot of pressure to weigh in,” top political aide Lucinda Ware said in a voicemail. “On behalf of Gov. Moore, I’m asking for your support of Dylan B for the vote.”

Ware and policy aide Eric Luedtke reached out to county central committee members Saturday morning to influence the second of two appointments to the General Assembly. Some members knew, others didn’t.

In the end, the panel recommended Behler 10-7-1 and sent his name to Moore, who appointed him. A former local party chair and legislative aide, Behler was sworn in Thursday.

It capped four wild weeks for county Democrats, ending in barrier-breaking choices. Behler is the first Annapolis LGBTQIA+ community member in the House of Delegates, and former delegate Shaneka Henson is the first Black woman from Annapolis in the state Senate.

But it also caused damage — accusations of racism and double standards, poison pen emails and hard feelings.

Perhaps the strangest part of all is that it flowed from a triumph — the election of then-state Sen. Sarah Elfreth to Congress in November.

Elfreth is the first member of Congress from Anne Arundel since 1993 and the first from Annapolis since 1963. She is a unifying figure known for keeping the peace — often between Henson and Del. Dana Jones.

They represent the same district but struggle to put their animosity aside — despite handshakes and hugs.

A flashpoint was the 10-9 vote on Jan. 4 to fill Elfreth’s seat. Priscilla Monroe Crawford cast the deciding vote for Henson.

Twenty-five days later, the Maryland Democratic Party removed her from the central committee. It determined she no longer lives in the state — making her ineligible to vote on Henson’s replacement.

It won’t undo the senator’s appointment. But Henson was quick to describe Crawford’s ouster as racism and lashed out at Jones and Behler.

“Once again,” she said, “I feel like Black women are being vilified.”

For some time, committee members questioned whether Crawford still lives in Gambrills. That’s the address she listed when she was elected to represent District 33 Democrats in 2022.

Since March, though, she’s been posting about her life in Inkster, Michigan, where she and her husband, Leon, are co-pastors of the Citi Praise Cafe church. A Detroit TV station featured their life skills class in August.

Behler said the committee asked Crawford about it. But she is registered to vote in Maryland and said she still lived in Gambrills, so it found no reason to remove her.

After the vote for Henson, John Wakefield and two others went to the state party and asked for a review. He’s concerned about losing the seat in 2026.

“The fact that the deciding vote was Mrs. Crawford, when that happened, all I could think was that this is a scandal waiting to happen,” said Wakefield, a board member of the District 33 Democratic Club.

“If I’m hearing about it out in Crofton, then surely Republicans are going to hear about it.”

At the state party’s credentials committee meeting Jan. 28 over Zoom, Crawford couldn’t explain whether she plans to remain in Michigan or return to Maryland. In an unsigned letter the next day, party Chair Ken Ulman accepted the committee’s recommendation to remove her.

Crawford did not respond to a request for comment, but a state party spokesperson said she has appealed to the executive committee.

Henson thinks she will win.

“This woman’s daughter is enrolled in public schools,” Henson said. ”She has witnesses. She has tax returns. A driver’s license.”

Jones distanced herself from the removal decision while simultaneously approving of it.

“I have no comment on the actions taken by the Maryland state Democratic party fulfilling their duty to ensure the party is consistent with state law,” she said.

Henson is far less reserved.

She contrasted the decision with allegations, spread in an anonymous email campaign called “Annapolis Watch,” that Jones held a fundraiser at a museum while sponsoring a bond bill to help pay for its renovations.

And, she said, allowing central committee members to vote for themselves was a bigger scandal.

“Why is no one talking about Dylan Behler voting for himself?” Henson said.

Behler’s vote was allowed under state law, and there’s no sign of campaign finance complaints against Jones.

“The allegations made against me during that meeting are false,” Jones said.

Henson is at the center of a rift growing in the party, with most county delegates and senators endorsing Jones for the appointment.

That may be related to Henson’s ethics violation. She helped secure bond funds for her church without revealing her relationship. Henson was stripped of her committee assignment and asked to apologize.

She seems unrepentant.

“It is a lot of mean-girl politics that are taking place,“ she said.

There are proposals to change the process for filling vacancies in the legislature, but there have been proposals in previous years, too.

Some would shift to special elections; others would bar committee members from voting for themselves. None would preclude the governor from weighing in.

At least four members of the committee heard from Moore’s aides. A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on why.

Chrissy Holt, the health care advocate who got seven votes, said she suspects that made the difference.

“The Democratic machine worked as designed,” she said.

Why would the governor care?

County Executive Steuart Pittman is term-limited and doesn’t plan to run for another office. Elfreth is focused on turbulent times in Washington.

Anne Arundel Democrats are looking for new leaders.

Behler, 26, has a reputation as a deft political operator. A former aide to Elfreth, Behler helped get her elected and is seen as someone not interested in picking intraparty fights.

In some way, this all mirrors the national party — gobsmacked by the audacity of President Donald Trump, it’s figuring who’s in charge.

Right now, that’s anyone’s guess.