CONCORD — U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes isn’t jumping into the pool of candidates for Sen. Jesse Helms’ seat. But the 8th District’s Republican congressman from Concord is swirling a toe in the water.
“I’ve been giving some thought to it for a long time, but it’s not a high-priority item for me,” Hayes said this morning from his home, where he is convalescing after a recent hip-replacement surgery.
Helms is retiring next year when his current term expires. The race for his seat will coincide with Hayes’ own re-election bid in the 8th District, so the congressman would have to make a choice.
“I haven’t totally ruled it out,” he said of going after the six-year Senate term as opposed to two more years in the House. “It’s just not something I’m aggressively pursuing.”
Two factors could push Hayes in that direction: The look of the 8th District after the General Assembly finishes redistricting this year; and a groundswell of support, and finances, from people who want a “conservative” to fill Helms’ shoes.
“It’s very clear, based on my record, what kind of candidate I am,”he said. “It would take a lot of folks saying we want someone conservative just like Sen. Helms to take his place.
“It’s not clear to me at this point what type of enthusiasm there is out there for any type of candidate,”he said.
Many are calling on former presidential candidate and Salisbury native Elizabeth Dole to run for Helms’ seat. She has said she’ll decide after Labor Day whether to declare herself a candidate. She’s already taken the first step of registering to vote here after living outside the state for decades.
Hayes says that Dole is the potential candidate with whom the press, both locally and nationally, seem the most enamored at the moment. And he calls Dole a friend “for whom I have the utmost respect,” but said their politics differ.
The only Republican who has openly declared a desire to seek the seat is former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot. Others offered as possible contenders include former Sen. Lauch Faircloth and 5th District U.S. Rep. Richard Burr.
For now, Hayes said he looks forward to seeking reelection to his own seat, assuming the 8th District still includes Concord after the General Assembly redraws national and state representation lines using 2000 census data.
North Carolina gained one new congressman based on its increased population. The state legislature must carve out a new district in which that representative will serve.
The 8th District stretches from Cabarrus County in the west to Cumberland County in the east and includes all or part of 10 counties, making it one of the largest congressional districts in the state.
“I’m really committed to the 8th District,”Hayes said. “The only ‘if’ in that is, what is the 8th District going to be?”
Contact Scott Jenkins at 704-797-4248 or sjenkins@salisburypost.com
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