Jahana Hayes Bio
Jahana Hayes (née Flemming; born March 8, 1973) is an American politician and former educator serving as the U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 5th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she became the first Black woman elected to represent Connecticut in Congress. Hayes first gained national recognition in 2016 when she was named National Teacher of the Year for her work teaching government and history at John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury.
Her district covers much of northwestern Connecticut, including the cities of Waterbury, New Britain, and Danbury. Before entering politics, Hayes built a career in public education, leading programs that supported both gifted students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. That classroom experience continues to shape her focus on education and labor policy in Congress.
Early Life and Background
Hayes was born on March 8, 1973, in Waterbury, Connecticut, and grew up in public housing projects in the same city. Her early years in a working-class community gave her a clear view of the challenges that many families in her district continue to face. Becoming a teen mother before finishing high school shaped her understanding of how schools can either support or fail young people.
Determined to continue her education, Hayes attended Naugatuck Valley Community College, where she earned an associate degree, and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University. She later returned to graduate study, earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Saint Joseph in 2012. In 2014, she completed a Sixth-Year Diploma through the University of Bridgeport School of Education, strengthening her credentials as a classroom leader.
Path to US Politics
Hayes began her professional life in education, taking her first job at the Southbury Training School in Connecticut. She then moved to John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, where she taught government and history. At Kennedy, she chaired the school’s SOAR Review Board, a “school within a school” that provided advanced instruction for gifted students, and served as a co-adviser of HOPE, a student-service club.
In 2015, she was named John F. Kennedy Teacher of the Year and then the Waterbury School District Educator of the Year. The following year, she received the National Teacher of the Year award, a recognition that pushed her into the national spotlight. Her appearances on platforms such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and at the National Education Association’s annual meeting amplified her voice and led to a successful run for Congress in 2018.
Jahana Hayes Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
Hayes entered the 2018 race for Connecticut’s 5th congressional district and won the Democratic primary on August 14, defeating Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman 62% to 38%. Her primary win came even though Glassman had the endorsement of the Connecticut Democratic Party. She went on to face Republican Manny Santos, a former mayor of Meriden, in the general election.
Backed by the Connecticut Education Association, the Connecticut Working Families Party, and a strong network of union support, Hayes won the November election and became the first Black woman elected to represent Connecticut in Congress. She and Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts were also the first women of color elected to Congress from New England. Hayes was sworn in on January 3, 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives Breakthrough (2019–2020)
During the 116th Congress, Hayes was appointed to the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, placing her directly on the policy areas that shaped her career in the classroom. In December 2019, she voted for the first impeachment of President Donald Trump. A year later, she voted for Trump’s second impeachment following the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
After the 2020 elections, Hayes was reported to be on the shortlist for Secretary of Education in the incoming Biden administration, though the role eventually went to Connecticut State Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona. At the start of her second term, she circulated a letter to Republican House leadership urging that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene not be placed on the House Education Committee, citing Greene’s past claims that mass school shootings, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Hayes’s own district, were false flag operations.
Current Congressional Era (2021–Present)
Hayes was reelected in 2020, defeating Republican nominee and former federal prosecutor David X. Sullivan with 55.1% of the vote. The 2022 race was her most competitive election to date, as she narrowly defeated Republican state Senator George Logan in the general election. During that campaign, she faced questions about the ethics of hiring two of her children as paid campaign staffers.
She continued her work on the Education and Labor Committee into her third term. In May 2023, she was among 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House. The following month, during House hearings on a proposed federal ban on transgender athletes, Hayes criticized the bill and warned that such hearings put a target on students who were already in a vulnerable stage of life. In 2024, she defeated George Logan again in a rematch of the 2022 race, securing another term in Congress.
Notable Events and Milestones
Hayes’s 2016 National Teacher of the Year honor stands as her most defining pre-political milestone, opening doors to national platforms and policy discussions. Her 2018 victory made history as the first time a Black woman represented Connecticut in Congress, and her vote against placing Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on the Education Committee drew national attention to school safety in her district.
Jahana Hayes Career Wins
Since entering Congress in 2019, Jahana Hayes has won four consecutive general elections in Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, beginning with her historic 2018 victory. She has also continued to receive major endorsements from education and labor organizations, reflecting her strong support among teachers, working families, and local Democrats.
U.S. House of Representatives Highlights
Hayes’s first congressional win came in 2018 against Republican Manny Santos. She was reelected in 2020, defeating David X. Sullivan with 55.1% of the vote. Her 2022 race against George Logan was her closest contest, and she prevailed again in 2024 in a rematch with Logan, continuing her hold on the seat through the 119th Congress.
Other Wins and Achievements
Before her political career, Hayes earned John F. Kennedy Teacher of the Year in 2015, the Waterbury School District Educator of the Year in 2015, and the National Teacher of the Year award in 2016. These recognitions established her national profile and laid the groundwork for her move into public office.
Jahana Hayes Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Jahana Hayes is married to her husband, Milford Hayes, a police detective. The couple lives in Wolcott, Connecticut, just north of Waterbury, with their four children. Hayes has often spoken about how her own experience as a young mother shaped her commitment to public education and family-supportive policies.