Grassroots Republicans Elect Former Congressman & Party Chair As NCGOP Chairman | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Raleigh, N.C.     North Carolina Republicans have tapped Former Congressman and Party Chairman Robin Hayes to lead the North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) through the 2016 elections.

    First elected as NCGOP Chair in 2011, Chairman Hayes led the Party through a banner year in 2012. North Carolina garnered national attention by becoming the only battleground state to go from Democrat to Republican in the presidential election. Republicans also gained three U.S. Congressional seats, won the Governor and Lt. Governor's offices, gained a super majority in the state house and expanded the super majority in the state Senate. Prior to serving the NCGOP, Chairman Hayes was a leading conservative in Congress for ten years, representing North Carolina's 8th Congressional district.

    "I am honored and humbled that grassroots Republicans have granted me the opportunity to once again lead our Party," said Chairman Hayes. "Together we'll foster unity in our party and win in November. I am looking forward to a successful State Convention next weekend, where we'll finish selecting a strong delegation to help elect our next President at the Republican National Convention."

    Chairman Hayes is ready and eager to continue aggressively revealing North Carolina Democrats' harmful records and showing the people of North Carolina why their policies would be detrimental to the state.

    Chairman Hayes added, "This election cycle, we'll continue aggressively exposing Roy Cooper, Deborah Ross, Josh Stein and the Democrats' liberal records. While Governor McCrory and our GOP state legislature have made North Carolina home to the fastest growing economy in the country, Democrats would rather return to the days of higher taxes and a stagnant economy. Cooper often says this isn't the North Carolina he knows and he's right - it's better. The media may not hold the Democrats accountable, but we will."

    Chairman Hayes is a licensed highway contractor, commercial pilot, former President of Central Motor Lines, President of the Cannon Charitable Trust and Director and VP of The Cannon Foundation. Chairman Hayes was on the Board of Directors at the USO of NC, The US Air Force Academy, The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, Prison Fellowship of NC and Jesse Helms Center. He is also the former US Congressman from North Carolina's 8th District. Chairman 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%. While in Congress, he was on the Armed services, Agriculture, and Transportation committees. He was chairman of the Livestock subcommittee, Special Forces Caucus and the Philanthropy caucus. He is a graduate of Duke University and a former teaching fellow at the Kennedy School at Harvard.

    Chairman Hayes will begin his service immediately. His election came after the NCGOP Executive Committee elected him by acclimation following a series of events leading to a change in leadership.

    READ: Bio of Chairman Robin Hayes

    READ: Why Robin Hayes

• Contact: NCGOP Communications
•     communications@ncgop.org