Democrat · Connecticut's 5th District · 2026
Jahana Hayes
Hayes became a mother as a teenager and later worked her way through college.
Biography
Jahana Hayes grew up with her grandmother in Waterbury public housing and became a mother at 17, delaying college before finding her way into teaching.1 A mother of four, she also watched her oldest daughter become a history teacher.1
Her education took her through Naugatuck Valley Community College, Southern Connecticut State University, the University of Saint Joseph and the University of Bridgeport.2 She earned degrees in history and secondary education and curriculum and instruction, then completed additional study in school administration.2 Hayes taught history for 15 years at Waterbury's John F. Kennedy High School and became the 2016 National Teacher of the Year.2
Elected to Congress in 2018, she became Connecticut's first Black congresswoman and now serves on the Education and Workforce and Agriculture committees.2 She led the Access to Baby Formula Act, which President Biden signed in May 2022.3 The law permits specified WIC program requirements to be waived during emergencies and formula supply disruptions, giving participating families more flexibility in obtaining formula.4
Hayes is the senior Democrat on Agriculture's Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, with education access, affordable health care, labor and veterans among her legislative priorities.2 She is seeking another term against Republican Chris Shea, a retired Navy SEAL and firefighter, in the November 3 election.56