Biography
Jahana Hayes grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut, in circumstances that she has described as difficult — her mother struggled with addiction and Hayes was raised in part by her grandparents in public housing. She overcame those early challenges to graduate from Southern Connecticut State University and earn a master’s degree in educational technology. She became a public school history teacher in Waterbury, eventually being recognized as Connecticut Teacher of the Year and then, in 2016, as the National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers, receiving the award from President Obama in a White House ceremony.
Hayes ran for Congress in 2018, winning a contested Democratic primary in CT-5 over a candidate with stronger establishment backing, and then winning the general election against Republican Manny Santos. Her victory made her the first Black woman elected to Congress from Connecticut and one of the most prominent new members of the 2018 class. She has been re-elected in 2020, 2022, and 2024, each time in a competitive but ultimately manageable race in a district that leans Democratic.
She serves on the House Agriculture Committee — an important assignment for her district’s rural communities and for the SNAP food assistance program that supports many of her urban constituents — and the Education and Workforce Committee, where her teaching background gives her direct expertise. Her compelling personal story and her position as Connecticut’s first Black congresswoman have given her a national profile beyond her district’s size.
Key Policy Positions
Education & Teachers
Hayes’ signature issue is public education. She has advocated for increased federal Title I funding for schools serving low-income students, teacher pay increases, and expanded support for school counselors and mental health resources in public schools. Her own experience as a teacher and her National Teacher of the Year recognition give her credibility on education issues that few members of Congress can match. She has been a consistent voice for fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and for policies that support the teaching profession.
Food Security & SNAP
Hayes’ Agriculture Committee assignment reflects both the rural portions of CT-5 and her strong advocacy for the SNAP food assistance program that serves her urban constituents in Waterbury and New Britain. She has been a vocal opponent of SNAP cuts and a supporter of expanding food access programs, including school meal programs. Her personal history of economic hardship gives her a lived connection to these issues that shapes her advocacy on the committee and in public messaging.
Economic Justice & Community Investment
CT-5 includes post-industrial cities — Waterbury was once a manufacturing hub — that have faced decades of economic decline. Hayes has focused on federal investment in community revitalization, affordable housing, and workforce development programs to help these communities rebuild. She has supported the infrastructure law and other federal spending measures as mechanisms for directing resources to the communities in her district that have been left behind by deindustrialization and economic change over the past generation.
Election History in CT-5
| Year | Opponent | Hayes % | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Manny Santos (R) | 55.6% | +11.2 |
| 2020 | David Sullivan (R) | 55.5% | +11.0 |
| 2022 | George Logan (R) | 51.9% | +3.8 |
| 2024 | Michael Sodaro (R) | ~53% | ~+7 |