Frequently Asked Questions About Tim Hayes

Tim Hayes is a candidate who’s running for state representative in Pennsylvania’s 143rd House District because our district is in desperate need of a fighter. Tim is a six-year Army National Guard veteran, the President of Dublin Borough Council, and the State Policy Manager for Conservation Voters of PA. He was raised by a union sheet metal worker and Wawa cashier who taught him the values of hard work, community, and service. In the National Guard, he met many people from different walks of life. Despite their different backgrounds and different beliefs, they set those disagreements aside for their shared mission of service. He takes the same approach on borough council and when he’s working with elected officials during his day job; parties don’t matter to him as much as results, and he has the bipartisan endorsements to prove it. In Harrisburg, he’ll fight to raise the minimum wage, support our first responders, get more clean energy onto the grid to lower utility costs, stand up to data centers to stop them from harming our communities and environments while driving up the cost of living, and to fully and fairly fund our public schools.

Tim Hayes is a Democrat, but he is committed to working across the aisle and has the experience and endorsements to prove it. He has worked with both Democrats and Republicans in his job with the Conservation Voters of PA to pass major legislation like the Solar for Schools grant program. On Dublin Borough Council, he’s worked with members of both parties to make Dublin a more affordable, sustainable, and safe borough; when he was elected Borough Council President, it was with bipartisan support. He’s been endorsed by both Democrats and Republicans, including former Republican Congressman Jim Greenwood.

Tim Hayes believes that for too long, do-nothing politicians in Harrisburg like his opponent have failed to act on the affordability crisis that is driving up the cost of living for folks across Upper Bucks County. He’s committed to bringing utility and housing costs down so that people can afford to live in Upper Bucks. He’s committed to supporting our local first responders—including by bringing down the cost of living so that their new recruits can afford to live in the communities they’re protecting.

Tim Hayes is running against six-year do-nothing incumbent Representative Shelby Labs. Rep. Labs has consistently voted against protections for utility ratepayers while taking campaign cash from utility lobbyists. She’s consistently voted against raising the minimum wage and against protections for workers. There is also a negligible, right-leaning third-party challenger polling at under 4%.

Yes! Tim Hayes is a selfless public servant who has been standing up for his community since he joined the Army National Guard at age 17. He is a community-first problem solver who has the experience and energy needed to represent our Upper Bucks community in Harrisburg.

Tim Hayes is laser-focused on the affordability crisis. On his first day as State Representative, he’ll sponsor legislation to raise the minimum wage. The minimum wage is the same today as it was when his mom worked multiple jobs to keep their family afloat fifteen years ago, and Tim is committed to raising it so that working families don’t need to struggle to pay their bills the way his did. He’ll fight to get more energy onto the grid to bring down utility costs, and work with farmers to address supply chain issues that are driving up costs at the grocery store.

Tim grew up on a farm and volunteers at a local farm that grows vegetables for area food banks. He believes that farming is a key part of our regional culture and economy that needs to be protected. That includes addressing the cost of fertilizer that’s being driven up by failed Republican policies,

Tim Hayes attended public schools from pre-k through his MPA and believes that public dollars belong in public schools. He is committed to fairly and fully funding our schools to reduce our local tax burden while giving every child the same chance to succeed like he had.

Tim Hayes is committed to standing up to data centers to ensure they are not a burden to our communities. That means ensuring they produce their own clean energy so they’re not polluting our air while driving up our utility bills, have closed-circuit cooling systems and water usage reporting requirements to ensure they’re not using up our water, siting restrictions to ensure they’re not a nuisance to our communities, and that the jobs working on data centers are good paying, union jobs that go to members of our own communities—not out of area contractors.

Tim has lived through the painful process of losing your health coverage, and he doesn’t believe anyone should have to experience that. In Harrisburg, he’ll fight to ensure every Pennsylvanian has access to affordable and accessible healthcare. That means keeping our healthcare system out of the hands of for-profit private equity companies, expanding coverage for programs like Medicaid, protecting coverage for people with disabilities or pre-existing conditions, and capping the cost of insulin and other essential drugs.

Tim is a certified firefighter. When he was in the National Guard, he was activated to work alongside local law enforcement. He knows the risks that our first responders take firsthand, and he’s committed to getting them the support they need (in fact, he donates the check he receives for his borough council work to the Dublin Borough police department every year). He’s endorsed by every sheriff in suburban Philadelphia and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 302–proof that the people responsible for keeping us safe trust Tim to have their backs in Harrisburg. As state representative, Tim will continue his staunch support of first responders and create more opportunities to invest in the police, fire and EMS departments in the 143rd. He’ll push to develop a plan for sustainable, long-term funding for volunteer companies. He’ll fight to secure additional funding for police departments to buy new gear and retain officers. And he’ll help EMS companies in the district retain their call boxes so that they don’t lose municipal funding.

Tim has a background in environmental policy, and protecting Upper Bucks County’s beautiful open spaces is a priority for him. However, as a young person who cannot afford to buy a home in the borough where he serves as council president, he also recognizes the need to build more housing and bring costs down so that folks can afford to remain in the communities that they grew up in. To get to the bottom of this complicated issue, he plans to work with townships and boroughs across the district to create a regional development plan, developing where it makes sense while preserving our rural open spaces.

Tim knows a lot of folks feel excluded from politics. Our system is imbalanced in favor of the powerful instead of everyday people. Tim has never let that stop him from fighting for our community, so when he gets to Harrisburg he’ll advocate for a slate of policies to help level the playing field and restore public trust in government. That includes enacting contribution limits for state elections, calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens' United decision, term limits for legislators, a ban on unreported gifts to lawmakers, and withholding pay from legislators if the state budget is not passed in a timely manner. He has also taken a No Corporate PAC money pledge.

Tim has not proposed any new taxes, and his record does not involve any tax hikes. On Dublin Borough Council, Tim led efforts to invest in the borough’s first responders, improved environmental sustainability, upgraded the borough’s water and our sewer infrastructure, and eliminated outdated regulations without raising taxes by a penny. Instead, he focused on reducing wasteful spending from decades of Republican mismanagement. He’ll take the same approach in Harrisburg.

Tim Hayes does not like to use labels like “moderate” or “progressive,” and there’s no record of him referring to himself by either during this campaign. However, he could best be described as a “populist” or “pragmatic” candidate because of his emphasis on people-first policies that will improve life and reduce costs for regular folks in our community.

Tim Hayes grew up on a farm in New Britain Township just minutes from Peace Valley Park; after his dad had to retire due to a disability, his family moved to a few local apartments before he eventually ended up in Dublin, where he has lived for over a decade.

Yes! Tim Hayes has signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge in support of a constitutional amendment limiting the number of terms that can be served in Congress. He supports term limits for other offices, as well.

Yes! Tim Hayes has shared his support for open primaries both on his website and on social media. His opponent, Rep. Shelby Labs, recently voted against a bill to open partisan primaries to independent voters here in Pennsylvania. It’s clear that Tim Hayes is the candidate for the 143rd who believes all voters should have a say as to what people represent them in Harrisburg and Washington.

Everyone who runs for office is subjected to criticism and attacks, but there are no real controversies about Tim. He has never attempted to raise taxes, he has never received any kickbacks, and he has been entirely open and transparent about his record with the public.

Election Day is on November 3rd this year, and the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is on October 27th in Pennsylvania. You can request one or find your closest in-person polling place at vote.pa.