Connecticut Democrat Jahana Hayes wins reelection to US House seat in state's 5th Congressional District

The Associated Press projects that Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes will win re-election in Connecticut's 5th Congressional District, defeating the GOP nominee George Logan in the state's tightest congressional race.

Hayes, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress from Connecticut, won her last two campaigns by double-digits in the district that extends along Connecticut's western border with New York.

Hayes said she was "tired but excited" on Wednesday night, adding she hadn't slept the night before and had endured a gruelling campaign. She knew the race would be close, but didn't think it would be this close, she said.

“I had to work twice as hard and really fight to hold this seat," she said during her press conference. "And at the end of the day, I think that was the message that resonated with the people of my community, that I’m one of them, that I'm going to continue to fight for them. And listen, a win is a win so I'm excited, I’ll take it.”

Rep. Jahana Hayes endorses Kamala Harris for president

U.S Rep. Jahana Hayes is backing Kamala Harris for president, becoming the seventh member of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse the California Democrat.

In an op-ed piece published Wednesday in Essence magazine, Hayes called Harris “the perfect antidote to our current President’s false narratives."

"With her intellect, strength and empathy at the helm, we can work to be better together. Senator Harris has laid out a powerful and bold vision for this country that is inclusive of everyone’s lived experience and grounded in the belief that success should not be defined by race, gender, socioeconomic status or zip code,'' Hayes wrote.

Harris was an early supporter of Hayes, backing for the 5th District seat before she won a primary against former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman to secure the Democratic nomination.

[SOURCE: Hartford Courant]

Jahana Hayes Wins, Becomes 1st Black Woman From Connecticut In Congress

Driven by a powerful personal narrative, a network of young volunteers and public speaking skills honed in her years as a teacher, political newcomer Jahana Hayes made history Tuesday, becoming the first African-American woman to represent Connecticut in Congress.

Hayes scored a solid victory over Republican Manny Santos, the former mayor of Meriden and a social conservative who struggled to raise money.

“People have said to me: ‘She doesn’t have what it takes,’” said Hayes, a former national teacher of the year from Waterbury. “Not only am I built for this, I’m Brass City built for this.”

She told her supporters she couldn’t have done it alone.

“You … believe that we have to protect the future that we promised for our kids,” she said. “You also believe that we have an obligation to be of service to someone else ... that true leaders lead from the front and lead by example, and reject all of this hate and intolerance and this indescribable fear that does not define who we are.”

Hayes’ apparent victory in the 5th Congressional District is part of a broader racial and ideological shift within the Democratic Party. Like other Democrats who are shaking up the party establishment, she embraced progressive policies and won the endorsement of organized labor and the Working Families Party. Hayes held a lead of several percentage points in early results although larger cities including Waterbury and Torrington had yet to fully report results.

In addition to being the first African-American Connecticut has elected to Congress since Republican Gary Franks held the 5th District seat in the 1990s, Hayes would join fellow Democrat Ayanna Pressley of Boston as the first women of color from New England to serve in the House.

Read more: Jahana Hayes Wins, Becomes 1st Black Woman From Connecticut In Congress

Black women candidates poised for major victories in November

Some of the most notable gains for women in this year’s election will come from black women. All three non-incumbent black women candidates favored to win on Election Day—Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)—will be not only the first black women, but the first women of color, to represent their states in Congress. Omar will break another barrier in joining Rashida Tlaib as the first Muslim congresswomen, and Pressley’s win against a 10-term incumbent reflects how political success is not constrained to those who wait their turn.

Pressley’s victory, and the anticipated wins of Hayes and Omar, demonstrate another thing: the electoral viability of black women in political contexts where they are too often counted out. For Pressley, the doubts among political and party insiders have been great, meaning the investment in her primary candidacy was minimal to zero among those typically perceived as key influencers in U.S. elections. Jahana Hayes won the Democratic primary in Connecticut despite running without her party’s endorsement. Hayes and Omar also won nominations in majority-white districts, an important counter to those who have doubted the ability of black women to be successful outside of majority-minority districts or states.

But Black women’s political success did not just begin this year. Six of the seven Black women currently serving as mayors of the top 100 most populous cities in the United States have been sworn in since Election Day 2016. And while women’s and black men’s state legislative representation has plateaued in recent decades, black women have seen a steady—albeit slow—increase in representation in state legislatures nationwide. In Congress, while gains for women have been slow and incremental, the racial and ethnic diversity among women, particularly Democratic women, has grown in the past decade. In fact, nine of the 14 new women elected to the 115th Congress (2017-2019) were women of color.

Political scientist Wendy Smooth puts these successes for black women into context, writing, “African-American women appear to be overrepresented in elective office while simultaneously holding the characteristics that would make them least likely to be politically engaged,” such as lower levels of income and educational access. This “paradox of participation,” as she terms it, is also notable when the under-investment in black women as candidates is taken into account. What’s more, research from the Center for American Women and Politics survey of state legislators found that black women officeholders were more likely than their white counterparts to report being discouraged from running for office in the first place.

Read more: SOURCE: THE HILL

Jahana Hayes wins Democratic Primary

Jahana Hayes won the Democratic Primary in Connecticut's Fifth Congressional District, the A.P. reported. Ms. Hayes, a “National Teacher of the Year” in 2016, is seeking to become the state’s first black Democrat to serve in Congress.

Ms. Hayes, 46, was thought to be a long-shot in the contest against Mary Glassman, a longtime local Democratic politician in the Western Connecticut region. But she embraced her status as an underdog, melding her life story — growing up in Waterbury, Conn., she went through homelessness, a teen pregnancy and economic hardship — into her campaign.

She also won support from some of the same progressive organizations that supported insurgent progressive Democratic candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated Representative Joseph Crowley in a New York primary. Ms. Hayes will face the Republican Manny Santos.

[SOURCE: NYTIMES]

Democrat Jahana Hayes: 2016 National Teacher of the Year is now a candidate for Congress

Democrat Jahana Hayes, recipient of the 2016 National Teacher of the Year Award, announced her candidacy for the 5th Congressional District (Conn.) of the U.S. House of Representatives.

On her website Hayes explains why she is running for office:

My decision to run for Congress is inspired by the people in my community who have become disengaged because they struggle to find themselves reflected in the narrative. People with real stories, challenges and successes that never make it into the discussion. I am running because I see myself in every student, teacher, mom, sister, daughter, friend, neighbor and stranger I meet, and their story is my story. I want to earn the trust of the people in Connecticut's 5th district and be the person to carry their concerns to Washington.

In a newly released campaign video, Hayes showcases her background: She grew up in a housing project in poverty-stricken Waterbury, was raised by her grandmother while her mother struggled with drug addiction, then became a mom at 17.

Meet Jahana Hayes, 2016 National Teacher of the Year

Washington, D.C. (April 28, 2016) - The Council of Chief State School Officers today announced that Jahana Hayes, a high school history teacher in Waterbury, CT is the 2016 National Teacher of the Year.

Hayes teaches at John F. Kennedy High School, but the community is her classroom. Connecting lessons learned in school to real life is an integral part of her instruction. Hayes seeks to send students into the world not just academically prepared but as conscientious and productive members of society.

"I am honored to be the 2016 National Teacher of the Year," Hayes said. "In the course of the next year, I hope to stoke a national conversation about education that is inclusive of everyone. I want to engage people who have not traditionally been part of the conversation to join in this important effort to prepare well-rounded students for success in life."

The National Teacher of the Year program, run by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and presented by Voya Financial, Inc., identifies exceptional teachers in the country, recognizes their effective work in the classroom, engages them in a year of professional learning, amplifies their voices, and empowers them to participate in policy discussions at the state and national levels.

As the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Hayes will spend a year traveling the nation to represent educators and advocate on behalf of teachers. Hayes looks forward to sharing her belief in the importance of service-learning, and in making the teaching profession more attractive and appealing to young people across all demographics.

"CCSSO is honored to support the nation's great teachers, and I am excited that people across the nation and the world will soon learn from Jahana Hayes' commitment to education," said Chris Minnich, executive director of CCSSO.

"Jahana values a quality education for all students, and she finds ways to engage students outside of her classroom walls to improve her community - and strengthen the character of her kids. I look forward to the year ahead and all that parents, students and fellow educators will learn from Jahana."

Every year, exemplary teachers from each state, the U.S. extra-state territories, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity are selected as State Teachers of the Year. From that group, the National Teacher of the Year is chosen by a panel representing 15 renowned education organizations, which collectively represent more than 7 million educators.

"The Selection Committee selected Jahana Hayes as the 2016 National Teacher of the Year because we believe her message of service-learning resonates in the education discussion today," the committee stated. "In addition, we believe she has a strong story that speaks to educators and will bring an important perspective to the public discourse over the next year."

"Teachers like Jahana Hayes are leading the way to a brighter future for America. What an exceptional educator - we are all proud," said Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. "Extraordinary academic rigor, high expectations, and unwavering commitment to service outside the classroom are the characteristics that Jahana brings to Waterbury students each and every day. She is truly preparing the next generation of global citizens. I want to congratulate Jahana and thank her for making a difference in the lives of so many Connecticut children and families."

"Jahana Hayes inspires her students to believe in their ability to change the world. She ignites a love of learning and builds their self-confidence. This well-deserved distinction provides Jahana the platform and opportunity to share her gifts, passion, and talent with students and educators across the nation. Without question, Jahana will inspire others to believe in the power of teachers to change the world through education," said Connecticut Department of Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell. "Connecticut is so proud of Jahana. She is a true role model for educators across the nation who seek to deliver on the promise of an outstanding education for every student."

"To be the National Teacher of the Year requires not only pedagogical precision, but also the ability to connect to the hearts and minds of a school community," said Waterbury Superintendent Kathleen M. Ouellette. "Jahana's own life experience, her passion for education, and the inspirational manner in which she impacts her students, all contribute greatly to her success. Jahana has masterfully refined a focused, pragmatic, yet heartfelt approach to an evolving global vision of education, bringing her to this pinnacle - the 2016 National Teacher of the Year! We in Waterbury, Connecticut are very proud!"

The finalists for 2016 National Teacher of the Year are Nathan Gibbs-Bowling, (Washington), Daniel Jocz, (California), and Shawn Sheehan, (Oklahoma).  You can read more about the finalists here. 

Hayes and the other 55 State Teachers of the Year have been invited to an event Tuesday at the White House, where they will be honored by President Barack Obama.

Learn more about Jahana Hayes, including video, photos and a bio.

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The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.

- See more at: http://www.ccsso.org/News_and_Events/Press_Releases/Connecticut_Teacher_Named_2016_National_Teacher_of_the_Year.html#sthash.LqGWuCkb.dpuf