Jahana Hayes Was Told She ‘Had No Chance.’ She, and Voters, Beg to Differ.

FILE-- Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, reacts at a ceremony with President Barack Obama honoring her and finalists for the award in the East Room of the White House in Washington, May 3, 2016. In August 2018, Hayes, 45, is the newly minted Democratic nominee from Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District, defeating a more seasoned opponent who had the party’s backing. If she defeats the Republican candidate, Manny Santos in November’s general election, she will become the state’s first black Democrat to serve in Congress. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)