Craig Hayes is an electoral reform advocate, grassroots organizer, and progressive Democrat running for District 22 of the Maryland House of Delegates to bring a new generation of leadership to Annapolis. Craig was born in Germany to an Irish immigrant and a U.S. Air Force service member. Because of his father’s deployments abroad, Craig’s grandparents helped raise and mentor him in Washington County, Maryland. There he learned to read music, play the alto saxophone, and cherish one of our state’s most vital natural resources: the Potomac River. 

Craig’s family also taught him the value of resilience, service to one’s community, and standing up for what is right. After his grandparents unexpectedly passed away due to failures in our government and healthcare system, Craig vowed to be a champion for reform so that other families may not suffer the same loss and grief.A proud product of our country’s public schools, Craig graduated summa cum laude from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science. In addition to leading competitive Democratic campaigns and managing constituent services, he has published and presented research on proportional electoral systems and submitted written testimony in support of electoral reforms like ranked choice voting and local public financing.

Craig currently lives in Hyattsville with his partner, Teddy, and their two rescue cats, Floyd and Kairi. In his spare time, he volunteers for a nonprofit dedicated to providing comprehensive services and support to vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.

Policy Objectives

• Strengthening our democracy by implementing electoral reforms like ranked choice voting, special elections for state legislative vacancies, and public financing for elections

• Tackling the cost-of-living crisis by strengthening workers' rights to collectively bargain, raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour indexed to inflation, and bringing fairness and equity to the tax code

• Protecting vulnerable members of our state including immigrants, communities of color, and the LGBTQ+ community by pushing back against creeping authoritarianism from ICE and reaffirming our state's commitment to civil rights and liberties for all

• Modernizing and repairing our aging wastewater systems to prevent future ecological disasters like the recent collapse of the Potomac Interceptor 

Education Background

• Lenfest Scholars Foundation Alumnus

• B.A. in Political Science from Shippensburg University