Hearcel Craig
Hearcel F. Craig (born July 1, 1949) is an American politician serving as the Senator for the 15th District of the Ohio State Senate. Craig formerly served in the United States Army and then had a career with the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He then went on to help develop City Year in Columbus. He has a degree from Central Michigan University.[1] In 2007, Craig was appointed to serve on Columbus City Council. While on Council, Craig rose to serve as President Pro Tempore.[2]
Hearcel F. Craig | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 15th district | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Charleta Tavares |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 26th district | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – December 31, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Tracy Maxwell Heard |
| Succeeded by | Erica Crawley |
| Columbus City Councilmember | |
| In office April 16, 2007 – December 31, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Patsy Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Jaiza Page |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1, 1949 U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Linda Craig |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Central Michigan University (MS) |
| Website | https://craig4ohio.com/ |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1970 - 1972 |
| Unit | United States Army |
In 2014, Craig decided to run for the Ohio House of Representatives to replace Tracy Maxwell Heard, who was term limited.[3] He won the primary over Heard's husband, Howard Heard. He went on to defeat Republican Dustin Pyles 76%-24%. He was elected to a 2nd term in the Ohio House of Representatives in 2016. In 2018, Craig decided to seek the nomination for Ohio's 15th State Senate District. The incumbent, Charleta Tavares, was term limited and unable to seek re-election. Craig won both the primary and general elections, and took office on January 6, 2019.
Ohio State Senate
In 2018, instead of seeking re-election, Craig decided to seek the nomination for Ohio's 15th State Senate District.[4] The incumbent Senator, Charleta Tavares, was term-limited and unable to seek re-election. Craig won both primary and general elections, and took office on January 6, 2019.
In 2021, Craig was elected as Assistant Minority Whip for the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus.
Committee assignments[5]
- Committee on Government Oversight & Reform (Ranking Member)
- Insurance (Ranking Member)
- Energy & Public Utilities
- Finance
- Financial Institutions & Technology
Electoral history
| Election results | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Election | Votes for Craig | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | |||
| 2007 | Columbus City Council | General | 49,753 (4th)* | 14.61 | |||||||
| 2011 | General | 74,156 (4th)* | 14.37 | ||||||||
| 2014 | Ohio House of Representatives | Primary | 4,430 | 60.44 | Howard Heard | Democratic | 2,899 | 39.56 | |||
| General | 19,505 | 75.79 | Dustin Pyles | Republican | 6,230 | 24.21 | |||||
| 2016 | General | 40,268 | 79.61 | Kenneth H. Collins | Republican | 10,314 | 20.39 | ||||
| 2018 | Ohio State Senate | Primary | 20,440 | 69.77 | Jodi Howell | Democratic | 8,857 | 30.23 | |||
| General | 107,505 | 82.52 | Jordan Garcea | Republican | 22,778 | 17.48 | |||||
* Top four are elected to Columbus City Council
References
- ^ "Hearcel Craig's run could lead to city council changes". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus. 2014-03-12. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
- ^ "Mayor Coleman delivers tenth State of the City speech". www.wcbe.org. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ "Council announces process, timeline to fill Craig vacancy". HobNob Columbus. Columbus. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
- ^ Siegel, Jim. "Craig to run for Senate seat, setting up likely primary". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ "Senator Hearcel F. Craig - Bio | The Ohio Senate". ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-09.