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, Ohio, Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such t ...

. Craig formerly served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

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. City ...

in Columbus. He has a degree from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

. In 2007, Craig was appointed to serve on Columbus 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, 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

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

Source: * 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 African-American state legislators in Ohio Democratic Party Ohio state senators 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly {{Ohio-OHRepresentative-stub