;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, 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 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. 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, 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 was enough to keep him in office. ;2008 In 2008, Hayes again faced Kissell. CQ Politics rated it as 'No Clear Favorite', The Rothenberg Political Report as 'Toss-Up/Tilt Democratic', and The Cook Political Report as 'Republican Toss Up' The Sunlight Foundation 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. 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 and KannapolisIndependent Tribune, 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. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. ;CAFTA and Trade Act Hayes has drawn heavy criticism for voting in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Hayes had earlier voiced his strong opposition to the measure, saying he felt it would cause further loss of textile industry jobs in his district. In the weeks before the vote, Hayes stated that he was "flat-out, completely, horizontally opposed to CAFTA," saying that "it's not in the best interests of the core constituency I represent," and that "there is no way I could vote for CAFTA". Hayes first voted "no" but was pressured at the last minute to change his vote by prominent House Republicans. The final tally was 217–215 with Hayes casting the deciding "yes" vote. Hayes played a similar role in the passage of the Trade Act of 2002, 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 race in Concord, North Carolina. Hayes "took umbrage" when he heard about it and immediately defended the Charlotte Motor Speedway 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
*Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture
Armed Services Committee
*Readiness Subcommittee
*Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
On January 15, 2011, Hayes was elected chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. He completed the term of former Raleigh mayor Tom Fetzer, 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, the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, in exchange for favorable treatment of Linberg's insurance firm and the dismissal of a deputy insurance commissioner. 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 as chairman Michael Whatley, an energy consultant and executive director of an energy policy advocacy group. Hayes pleaded guilty to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on October 2, 2019.
