Robert Cannon "Robin" Hayes (born August 14, 1945) is an American politician and businessman from
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
North Carolina's 8th congressional district
North Carolina's eighth congressional district is a United States congressional district that comprises a large portion of the southern Piedmont area of North Carolina from Concord to Spring Lake, including China Grove, Albemarle, Troy, Pin ...
in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
from 1999 to 2009, and was the Republican nominee for
Governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...
in 1996. Hayes served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party from 2011 to 2013, and from 2016 to 2019. Accused in a bribery scheme in 2019, Hayes pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. On January 20, 2021, Hayes was pardoned by President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
.
Early life, education, and early political career
Hayes was born in
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...
, to Mariam Winslow (née Cannon) and Robert Griffith Hayes Jr. His great-grandfather
James William Cannon
James William Cannon (born Mecklenburg County, North Carolina April 25, 1852 – December 21, 1921) was an American industrialist, and founder of the Cannon Mills Corporation and the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina. He was the maker of the ...
founded the
Cannon Mills Corporation
The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile manufacturing company based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that mainly
produced towels and bed sheets. Founded in 1887 by James William Cannon, by 1914 the company was the largest towel and sheet ...
, a
Kannapolis
Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...
-based textile company that was later run by his grandfather
Charles Albert Cannon
Charles Albert Cannon (November 29, 1892 – April 2, 1971) was the son of Cannon Mills Company founder James William Cannon and president of the firm from the 1920s to the 1960s. He was born, lived and died in Concord, North Carolina.
With Canno ...
. He is also a descendant of
Abraham Owen
Abraham Owen or Abram Owen (1769–1811) was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1769. He moved to Kentucky in 1785.
Owen served in the wars with the Indians under generals James Wilkinson and Arthur St. Clair in 1791, and served wit ...
, a military officer killed at the
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecums ...
.
Hayes graduated from
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
. He was elected to the Concord city council in 1978 and to the
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...
in 1992 where he served two terms. He was the Republican nominee for
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, but was handily defeated by Democratic incumbent
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...
. Hayes owns a
hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...
mill in
Mount Pleasant, North Carolina
Mount Pleasant is a town located in eastern Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 1,652. The town center is located at the crossroads of Mount Pleasant Road and North Carolina Highway 73. ...
.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
;1998–2000
Hayes ran for Congress in 1998 after 12-term incumbent Democrat Bill Hefner announced his retirement. He narrowly defeated Democrat Mike Taylor, winning 51%–48% with a gap of only 3,400 votes. In 2000, he defeated Taylor in a rematch 55%–44%.
;2002–2004
Even though a large chunk of its population is located in the conservative-leaning eastern suburbs of
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
, the 8th has long been considered marginally Democratic due to a strong Democratic presence in the eastern portion of the district closer to Fayetteville. After the 2000 Census, the Democratic-controlled
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
made the 8th considerably more Democratic than before. It shifted the heavily Republican western portion of Union County to the Charlotte-based 9th District. In its place, it added a heavily Democratic tendril in Mecklenburg County to the 8th, stretching from the far northeastern portion of Charlotte almost to
Matthews
Matthews may refer to:
People
* Matthews (surname)
Places
* Matthews Island, Antarctica
* Matthews Range, Kenya
* Mount Matthews, New Zealand
United States
* Matthews, Georgia
* Matthews, Indiana
* Matthews, Maryland
* Matthews, Missouri
* Mat ...
.
In 2002, he defeated Democrat Chris Kouri 54%–45%. In 2004, he defeated Democrat Beth Troutman 56%–45%.
;2006
In 2006, however, Hayes was nearly defeated by Democrat
Larry Kissell
Lawrence Webb Kissell (born January 31, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , a district that stretched from Charlotte to Fayetteville. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2013. In 201 ...
, a social studies teacher and former textile worker from Montgomery County. Each man won approximately 50% of the vote, making it one of the closest elections in the country. At the end, Kissell conceded defeat to Hayes after a recount; Hayes officially won the election by 329 votes. This was especially stunning since Kissell received little help from his national party until late in the campaign. Although Hayes only won three of the district's nine counties, a 6,100-vote margin in his native
Cabarrus County
Cabarrus County ( ) , from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
CQ Politics
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is part of a privately owned publishing company called CQ Roll Call that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress. CQ was acquired by the Economist Group and combine ...
'' rated it as 'No Clear Favorite', ''
The Rothenberg Political Report
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst. He is best known for his biweekly political newsletter ''The Rothenberg Political Report'', now known as ''Inside Elections''. He was also a regular columnist at ''Roll ...
'' as 'Toss-Up/Tilt Democratic', and ''
The Cook Political Report
''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...
'' as 'Republican Toss Up'
The
Sunlight Foundation
The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States ...
reported that as of 2008, among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hayes had the highest amount of investment in oil stocks.
Hayes came under fire late in the campaign for his comments at a rally for
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
. On October 18, 2008, at a McCain rally, Hayes began his remarks by saying it was important to "make sure we don't say something stupid, make sure we don't say something we don't mean." He then accused Obama of "inciting class warfare" and said that "liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God." Hayes repeatedly denied that he had made the statement and accused reporters of "irresponsible journalism", until an audio recording attesting to the statement was released. A few days later at a debate hosted by the
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
and
Kannapolis
Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...
Independent Tribune
''Independent Tribune'' is a newspaper based in Concord, North Carolina covering Cabarrus County. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The ''Independent Tribune'' was formed September 29, 1996, with the merger of ''The Concord Tribune'' and ...
, Hayes denied that he denied the statement, saying he was denying only the context of how the remarks were presented to him.
Kissel defeated him 55%–45%.
Tenure
Hayes is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.
;CAFTA and Trade Act
Hayes vacillated on the
Central American Free Trade Agreement
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, which came before the House in 2005. In the weeks before the vote, Hayes stated that he was "flat-out, completely, horizontally opposed to CAFTA" because he felt it would cause further loss of textile industry jobs in his district. Hayes first voted "no" but changed to "yes" at the last minute after he was lobbied by Republican House leadership (specifically House Speaker
Dennis Hastert
John Dennis Hastert (; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician and convicted felon who represented from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. The longest-se ...
) and textile executives, who favored CAFTA. Hayes said that he had won concessions from the George W. Bush administration on certain textile issues. The final tally was 217–215 with Hayes casting the deciding "yes" vote (a tie would have defeated the motion).
Hayes played a similar role in the passage of the
Trade Act of 2002
The Trade Act of 2002 (; ; ''U.S. Trade Promotion Authority Act'') granted the President of the United States the authority to negotiate trade deals with other countries and gives Congress the approval to only vote up or down on the agreement, not ...
, which shifted some trade agreement authority from Congress to the President. Though Hayes had said "We're a definite 'no' until we get some help on textiles," he was lobbied hard by the White House and congressional leadership to vote for the measure. Hayes waited until the last minute before voting "yes," and broke down in tears on the floor of the House.
;NASCAR vaccine scare
In October 2007, it was revealed that House Homeland Security officials were "advised" to take vaccines before attending a
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
race in
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...
. Hayes "took umbrage" when he heard about it and immediately defended the
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...
in his district and NASCAR fans nationwide. The uproar lasted for days and was covered on all major news outlets.
Committee assignments
*Agriculture Committee
**Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
**Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry (Ranking Member)
**Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture
*Armed Services Committee
**Readiness Subcommittee
**Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
*Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
**Subcommittee on Aviation
**Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
**Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
*Assistant Whip
*Founding Co-Chairman of the Special Operations Forces Caucus
*Co-Chairman of the Philanthropy Caucus
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
mayor
Tom Fetzer
Thomas Harrison Fetzer Jr. is an American politician and lobbyist who served three two-year terms as Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1993 to 1999. He was chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party from 2009 to 2011.
Early life
Tom Fe ...
, who decided to leave the post before his term expired. Hayes then served a full two-year term, and after the Republicans' successful 2012 election, he chose not to run for another term in 2013. In 2016, state Republicans removed their chairman, Hasan Harnett, and elected Hayes to return to the position.
Bribery charge
On March 18, 2019, a federal grand jury in the Western District of North Carolina indicted Hayes on charges of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, bribery, and three counts of making false statements to federal authorities. According to the indictment, Hayes coordinated with businessman Greg Lindberg and two other individuals in an attempt to bribe
Mike Causey
John Michael Causey (born September 11, 1950) is an American politician who has served as the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance since 2017.
John Michael Causey, a North Carolina Republican, has run for state Insurance Commissioner five t ...
, the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, in exchange for favorable treatment of Lindberg's insurance firm and the dismissal of a deputy insurance commissioner. Lindberg was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison.
The indictment remained sealed until April 2, when Hayes appeared in court to plead not guilty. The following day he said that he would let other Republicans assume responsibility for managing the North Carolina Republican Party until its officer elections in June. Hayes kept the title of chairman until the new elections. At their annual convention in June, North Carolina Republican Party members elected a new chairman, Michael Whatley. Hayes pleaded guilty to lying to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
on October 2, 2019. President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
SourceWatch
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org.
History
CMD was founded in 1993 by progr ...