Shaneka Tarae Johnson (née Henson; born July 29, 1983) 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.
[1] In 2016, Henson graduated from a training course hosted by Emerge Maryland, an organization created to prepare potential female Democratic candidates for public office.
[6] In 2016, Henson filed to run for the Annapolis City Council in ward 6, challenging incumbent Alderman Kenny Kirby,[2] who later announced his retirement.
[10] Henson resigned from the city council on April 29, 2019, after the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee nominated her to the Maryland House of Delegates.
[19] Henson campaigned on the issues of maternal health, renter protections, and affordable childcare, and received endorsements from several Black lawmakers including Cory McCray and Gabriel Acevero.
After critics likened her questioning to the rhetoric of Moms for Liberty, Henson apologized to "anyone who thought I was targeting them or their life or who they choose to love".
[44] In October 2021, Henson participated in and spoke at a protest in Annapolis to endorse legislation expansion to expand abortion rights in Maryland.
[25] However, during the 2022 legislative session, Henson voted against the Abortion Care Access Act, a bill to expand the kinds of health care practitioners that could perform abortions in Maryland and provide $3.5 million to train these professionals on performing the procedure, and voted to uphold Governor Larry Hogan's veto of the bill.
During the 2023 legislative session, Henson voted for Question 1, a voter referendum that established a right to reproductive freedom in the Constitution of Maryland.
[21] In February 2021, Henson was the only member of the Anne Arundel County Delegation to vote against a bill providing tax credits to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
[46] During the 2022 legislative session, Henson introduced a bill to add critical medical devices, including thermometers, pulse oximeters, and blood pressure monitors, to the state's sales tax exemptions,[47] which passed and was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan.