Born Joe L. Hayes Jr. to Brenda Ann Lee, a nurse assistant in Manhattan, New York, he was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, with nine other siblings without a father in the home.
[1] Hayes enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school graduation.
[3] After his honorable discharge Hayes enrolled in the Political Science concentration of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in 1992, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1997.
He was the recipient of the 1995 Blue and Gold Award and was inducted into the National Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha.
Still, Murkowski ran as a write-in candidate, defeating both the Republican and Democrat on the ballot in the 2010 General Election, with 39.5 percent of the vote.
Hayes lost the House District 9 race to Republican Jim Holm who received 52.16 percent of the votes.
[14] Joe Hayes returned to UAF as its new Alumni Director working enthusiastically for more than ten years.