EMILYs List Endorses Jahana Hayes in Connecticut’s 5th District

For Immediate Release
August 15, 2018 

EMILYs List Endorses Jahana Hayes in Connecticut’s 5th District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Jahana Hayes for Congress in Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“Jahana Hayes is living proof that all Americans should be provided with an opportunity to succeed. She grew up in a housing project in a family that relied on public assistance and now, she’s on track to become the next member of the U.S. House representing Connecticut’s 5th District. After becoming a mom at the age of 17, Jahana went back to school and found her calling as a teacher. Her dedication to service through her roles in local classrooms and beyond gained her recognition from President Obama as National Teacher of the Year in 2016, setting her on the course to run for office to fight for Connecticut working families in Congress.

“Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District is an important seat for Democrats to hold if we want to flip the House. Jahana has built up the strong grassroots support she needs to win this race. EMILYs List is proud to be standing with this champion for Connecticut families.”

Raised in the Berkeley Heights housing project in Waterbury, Jahana Hayes’ family struggled to overcome setbacks similar to what many of her neighbors also faced: poverty, addiction, teenage pregnancy. Her strong desire for an education drove her to push forward, and she went on to receive a master’s degree from the University of Saint Joseph, working to support her family throughout her time in school. Jahana most recently served as the talent and professional development supervisor for Waterbury Public Schools and previously taught social studies at John F. Kennedy High School. Jahana is a proud mother of four and lives in Wolcott with her husband.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.