📋 Archive Notice: This is a 2025 election candidate profile and is no longer updated. For current coverage, visit the City Council hub or 2026 Election page.
Curtis Hayes Jr. Profile: Background, Prior Runs, and District 5 Issues in Charlotte's 2025 Election
Curtis Hayes Jr.: Candidate Profile for Charlotte City Council District 5
Who He Is
Curtis Hayes Jr. is a community advocate whose face became familiar in 2020 when a three-generation exchange on I-277—between a 45-year-old man, a 16-year-old, and Hayes—went viral nationwide. On national TV the next week, he pressed the teenager to "find a better way," a message that later shaped his civic work and campaigns for City Council.
Prior Campaigns
Hayes ran for the District 5 seat in 2022 and 2023. Ballotpedia records show he finished second in the 2022 Democratic primary and again in the 2023 Democratic primary, where incumbent Marjorie Molina prevailed. Those filings establish him as a returning candidate familiar with East Charlotte's ballot and neighborhoods.
District 5: What's At Stake
District 5 stretches across East Charlotte, from Independence Boulevard out toward I-485 north of Mint Hill. The electorate is heavily Democratic and racially diverse; recent coverage pegs about 42% of registered voters as Black. There's no Republican on the November ballot, so the Democratic nominee is expected to win the seat. Core local issues: how the Eastland redevelopment is delivered, basic services such as sidewalks and street safety, and the city's recent motel acquisition near Hidden Valley—topics that framed a 2023 candidate forum featuring Hayes, Molina, and Vinroy Reid.
Public Record & Issues You'll Hear About
1) Youth Opportunity and Community Safety
Hayes' public message since 2020 has centered on mentorship and non-violent civic engagement—the "better way" he urged on national television during the protests. A Spectrum News lookback noted that the viral exchange catalyzed his activism and his decision to pursue a council seat.
2) Neighborhood Basics in East Charlotte
From the Tuesday Forum event ahead of the 2023 primary, candidates—Hayes included—fielded questions on sidewalks , big-rig parking on neighborhood streets , affordable housing , the Eastland site, and the city's motel buyout near Hidden Valley. Expect those to anchor District 5 debates again this cycle.
3) Campaign Channels and Contact
Hayes communicates with voters on social platforms and via a campaign site. His public pages identify him as a District 5 candidate and route supporters to contact and events via Facebook and Instagram.
How He Got Here: The Viral Moment
Multiple outlets documented the May–June 2020 exchange. Charlotte Magazine's immediate write-up and Good Morning America appearances captured Hayes' message: channel outrage into durable civic action, and teach the next generation to "find a better way."
Election History (At a Glance)
- 2022 : Democratic primary, District 5 — 24.4% (second); Marjorie Molina won the nomination.
- 2023 : Democratic primary, District 5 — 29.9% (second); Molina won renomination.
District 5 Voter Context in 2025
With no GOP challenger expected, the Democratic primary is the election. The district's boundaries bring together Eastland's redevelopment debates, major corridors (Albemarle/Independence), and neighborhoods that consistently name sidewalks, transit access, and small-business corridors as priority needs.