State Senator Hearcel F. Craig currently represents Ohio’s 15th Senate District and holds the position of Assistant Minority Leader. Craig has an extensive background in public service at the state and local levels. Prior to being elected to the Ohio Senate in 2018 and 2022, he served in the Ohio House and on Columbus City Council. Craig serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Insurance and Veterans and Public Safety Committees. Senator Craig also sits on the Senate Finance; Medicaid; and Rules and Reference Committees. Additionally, Senator Craig serves as Sergeant-at-Arms for the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Senator Craig earned a Master of Science in Administration degree from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Franklin University. He also studied at Ashland Theological Seminary as part of their Master of Divinity program and was a Join Together National Leadership Fellow at Boston University School of Public Health. Senator Craig completed the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) in 2015. He was certified as an NASD Arbitrator in 2007, and proudly served our nation in the United States Army from 1970 – 1972.
Senator Craig and his wife, Linda, are the proud parents of four children, eleven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Craig serves as an Associate Minister at the First Church of God and continues his dedication to Ohioans in his new role as Assistant Minority Leader in the Ohio Senate.