Dana Jones

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.

Background Jones was born in Cumberland, Maryland, on June 6, 1976. Jones graduated from Fort Hill High School and attended Towson University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in sociology in 1998. The Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee voted to recommend Jones to the seat later that month, and she was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan on April 23, 2020.

Jones was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on May 1, 2020, and was elected to a full four-year term in 2022. She was a member of the Ways and Means Committee from 2020 to 2023, afterwards serving in the Appropriations Committee.

Jones was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Kamala Harris.

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. Jones campaigned on her legislative record and highlighted her work toward reproductive health and LGBTQ+ rights while contending for the seat. 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. 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.

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.

Political positions

Rick Hutzell of The Baltimore Banner has described Jones as a progressive.

Education During the 2021 legislative session, Jones introduced a bill to regulate school bus capacity.

Fiscal issues 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. 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.

Social issues In April 2021, Jones participated in a rally to celebrate the sentencing of Derek Chauvin.

In October 2021, Jones participated in a protest in Annapolis to support abortion rights amid red states passing bills to ban abortions. 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.

Personal life

Jones is married to her husband, Jude Meche. Together, they have a son.