Hearcel F. Craig (born July 1, 1949) is an American politician serving as the Senator for the
15th District of the
Ohio State Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
. Craig formerly served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
and then had a career with the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He then went on to help develop
City Year
City Year is an American education nonprofit organization founded in 1988. The organization partners with public schools in 29 high-need communities across the US and through international affiliates in the UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. Ci ...
in Columbus. He has a degree from
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...
. In 2007, Craig was appointed to serve on
Columbus City Council
The Columbus City Council is the lawmaking body of Columbus, Ohio. It has 7 members who are elected at-large. It meets in the City Council Chambers located on the second floor of Columbus City Hall. Starting in the 2023 election, City Council ...
. While on Council, Craig rose to serve as President Pro Tempore.
In 2014, Craig decided to run for the
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
to replace
Tracy Maxwell Heard
Tracy Maxwell Heard (born February 3, 1963) is the former Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives, and previously served as the minority whip, assistant majority leader and as the majority leader. She is the first African-American wo ...
, who was term limited. 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
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
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. 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
* Committee on Government Oversight & Reform (Ranking Member)
* Insurance (Ranking Member)
* Energy & Public Utilities
* Finance
*Financial Institutions & Technology
Electoral history
References
1949 births
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
United States Army soldiers
Central Michigan University alumni
Columbus City Council members
21st-century American politicians
African-American state legislators in Ohio
Democratic Party Ohio state senators
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American people
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