By the narrowest of margins, Anne Arundel County Democrats selected Del. Shaneka Henson on Saturday to fill a vacancy in the Maryland Senate over Del. Dana Jones.

After the 10-9 vote was confirmed and Henson’s victory announced, she buried her face in her hands as her supporters cheered and Jones waited to offer a congratulatory handshake.

“There’s a lot of emotions, but it definitely means the world to be selected by the central committee,” Henson said in a brief interview after being mobbed by supporters seeking photos with the soon-to-be senator.

Henson and Jones engaged in an intense campaign to woo the party insiders who make up the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee and were charged with recommending a replacement for former Sen. Sarah Elfreth, who was sworn into Congress on Friday. The two delegates’ records on LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive health care became central to the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee also made a vacancy selection, choosing LaToya Nkongolo for a vacant seat in the House of Delegates on Friday. Former Del. Rachel Muñoz resigned to spend more time with her young family.

Henson’s and Nkongolo’s names will be sent to Gov. Wes Moore, who has the final say on appointing new members to the Maryland General Assembly to fill vacancies. Both would be the first Black women to hold their positions.

The Democratic campaign between Henson and Jones was fierce, with both lobbying publicly and privately for the job. Each was subjected to about an hour of questions by central committee members before a standing-room-only crowd of a few hundred people.

Henson, who has been a delegate since 2019, was questioned about an ethics report that faulted her for not disclosing her business relationship with a church that sought state funding — which she said was merely a communications issue that she’s learned from.

She also was asked about her commitment to Democratic Party priorities and leaders, in light of her breaking from the party by voting against an abortion care access bill and not casting any votes on bills to support and protect transgender patients and their medical providers.

Henson said political leadership means listening to one’s constituents and taking their concerns to party leaders, and shaping the party’s priorities.

The Democratic Party seems to listen the most to the far left, she said, instead of most voters, who are in the center and more concerned about pocketbook issues.

“Our party has put a hyper focus on issues that don’t affect people’s bottom line, but are issues that we need to not completely ignore, but they must be held in the context of everything else,” she said.

Henson noted her support of other LGBTQ+ and reproductive issues, including measures repealing the so-called “gay panic” defense, creating a state LGBTQ+ commission and enshrining reproductive choice in the state constitution.

Henson also argued that she’d be a good choice to keep the Senate seat in Democratic hands in the 2026 election, because she can appeal to independent and Republican voters. The party, she said, needs to have a “big tent” mentality. “I’m well positioned to bring us together,” she said.

Jones, who has been a delegate since 2020, touted her prolific record of passing bills — 27 so far — and her commitment to helping Democrats win elections up and down the ballot.

Jones promoted her sponsorship of the Freedom to Read Act, a law passed in 2024 that aims to ensure publicly funded libraries have diverse collections and to protect library workers from retaliation. She said the law protects the works of authors from marginalized communities so they are available for people to read.

Jones was asked about the graphic novel “Gender Queer,” one of the most-challenged books in the nation, and whether children should have access to it in the library.

“If you had the idea that was a children’s book ... if you thought that was something children had access to, I’m so glad you brought that up,” Jones said. “Because, unfortunately, with all due respect, sir, you’re wrong. That is an adult book. It is an artist’s rendition, and it is in the adult section of the library.”

Jones also made indirect mentions of Henson’s choice not to vote on the transgender health bills, at one point noting that she’ll “never walk off the floor” when it comes to voting to support vulnerable Marylanders.

Though the competition was intense between Henson and Jones, they shook hands and shared a few words after the meeting. They posed for pictures along with Robert Leonard, a south county resident who had also applied for the seat.

Republican choice

Meanwhile, one day earlier, the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee met at a fire hall to recommend Nkongolo, a social worker from Severna Park, for a House of Delegates seat representing the northeastern part of the county, including Pasadena, Gibson Island and part of Severna Park.

For Nkongolo, the third time was the charm for seeking elected office. She previously lost races for state delegate and the county’s school board. Despite her past losses, Nkongolo told central committee members she’d increased her vote counts, raised money and reached thousands of voters in her campaigns.

Nkongolo said she would work to grow the Republican Party, which is strong in parts of Anne Arundel but overall outnumbered in the county and the state. She said Democrats like and respect her despite differences of political opinion.

“I just didn’t know what to expect,” Nkongolo said. “I just kind of hoped for the best and didn’t have any expectations and left it in God’s hands. I’m just so overwhelmed, and I’m so grateful for all of the support.”

She said 47 people wrote letters to the central committee on her behalf.

The other top contender for the seat was Corine Frank, a former county school board member and former executive director of the state Republican Party. Frank came prepared with a thick binder of materials and passed out copies of reports and plans to central committee members.

The committee also considered Jason DuBois, who has worked in health care as a lobbyist and in government positions.

Unlike the Democrats who held a public vote, the Republicans cast secret ballots. A few members tallied the written votes, and Susan McConkey, the committee chair, announced only that Nkongolo had reached the threshold of eight votes necessary for victory. The committee did not release the full vote.