Jahana Hayes Wins Reelection To 5th CT Congressional District: AP

CONNECTICUT — Rep. Jahana Hayes won her reelection to represent Connecticut's 5th congressional district. The Associated Press called that race at 2 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6. The third-term congresswoman's contest was a rematch with 2022 challenger Republican George Logan.

The first race between Logan and Democrat/Working Families candidate Hayes was the Connecticut Squeaker of 2022, with Hayes defeating Logan by less than one percentage point.

Hayes has represented Connecticut's 5th District since 2019, smashing ceilings as the first Black woman and Black Democrat to represent Connecticut in Congress. A history teacher in Waterbury, Hayes first garnered headlines when she was named National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers in 2016. A strong advocate for public education, she has credited her "union brothers and sisters" for her success.

Wolcott resident Hayes currently sits on the full House committees of Education and Labor, and Agriculture. She has voted to pass legislation which would codify the right to an abortion into law, and supports "proposals that expand access to contraception and sex education so every person’s reproductive choices remain between them and their doctor," according to her campaign website.

A self-described "fierce advocate" of social justice and member of the Equality Caucus, Hayes cosponsored the Dream and Promise Act, legislation would provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers and those with Temporary Protected Status. She is also a cosponsor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and has voted in favor of legislation aligned with LGBTQ+ concerns.

Hayes' first resolution in Congress was to prohibit the use of federal funds to arm teachers, and she has regularly supported legislative reforms like assault weapon and ghost gun bans, safe storage requirements, and universal background checks. She voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Locally, Hayes, an advocate for small Connecticut farmers, has worked to secure funding for improving sidewalks in Southbury and Avon, and wastewater treatment facilities in Cornwall and Newtown, among other infrastructure projects.