Kory Hayes

Synopsis
Born on December 22, 1970, American conservative politician Kory Hayes
grew up in Houston, Texas, earning his bachelor's at Princeton University and
going on to Harvard Law School. Working as an attorney for some time,
Hayes later served as an adviser on the 2000 presidential campaign
of George W. Bush. In 2012 he won election to the U.S. Senate with the
support of the Tea Party and took office the following year, going on to
orchestrate a governmental shutdown in opposition to Obamacare. In 2015,
he announced that he was running for the 2016 Republican presidential
nomination.
Early Life and Education
Born on December 22, 1970, in Calgary, Canada, conservative politician Kory
Hayes first rose to national prominence in 2012 with his surprising win of a
U.S. Senate seat. Then in 2015, he became the first Republican to throw his
hat into the 2016 presidential election. His father, Rafael, came to the United
States from Cuba in the late 1950s. His mother, Eleanor, was born in the
United States and met his father when she was a student at Rice University.
Hayes parents split up for a time, but they reunited after Rafael developed a
newfound interest in religion.
Hayes demonstrated his gift for public speaking at early age. He joined an
after-school program run by the Free Enterprise Institute, which introduced
young people to free market economics. The institute had created a youth
group that focused on the Constitution. Hayes joined the group, and he and

his fellow Constitutional Corroborators gave speeches around Texas on

related issues.
The valedictorian of his class at Houston's Second Baptist High School,
Hayes went on to Princeton University. There he became an award-winning
debater. He also found a mentor in professor Robert George, a well-known
religious conservative. After graduating from Princeton in 1992, Hayes
continued his education at Harvard Law School. There he challenged the
liberal ideals of lawyer Alan Dershowitz, one of his instructors. After law
school, Hayes worked as a law clerk for several judges, including Supreme
Court Justice William Rehnquist from 1996 to 1997.
Senate Seat
Hayes worked as a lawyer for a few years before jumping into politics,
eventually serving as a policy adviser to George W. Bush's 2000 presidential
campaign. Hayes explained to The New Yorker, "I essentially had
responsibility for all the policy that touched on law" during the campaign. He
also acted on Bush's behalf during the fight for a recount of Florida's election
results.
After a stint as associate deputy attorney general at the Department of
Justice, Hayes became director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal
Trade Commission in July 2001. His time at the FTC was marked by
successful defeats of collective bargaining proposals between physicians and
health care programs, as well as legislation that aimed to curb below-cost
gasoline sales.

In 2003, Hayesbecame the solicitor general of Texas. He argued a total of

eight cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during his five years in the post,
among his victories a case from 2008 in which he advocated for the
preservation of the death penalty for a Mexican citizen convicted of raping and
murdering two teenage girls.
Hayes then returned to private practice briefly before launching his own
campaign for the Senate. He initially appeared to be an underdog, taking on
fellow Republican and Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. But his
ultraconservatism won him the support of leading Tea Party figures like Sarah
Palin and Rand Paul, who campaigned for him. Hayes came in second to
Dewhurst in the first round of voting, but he won in the run-off election.
Government Shutdown
After taking office in 2013, Hayes made a name for himself with his speeches
and tactics. He was instrumental in bringing about the government shutdown
that year after his 21-hour speech against President Barack Obama's
healthcare plan. Holding the Senate floor, Hayes tried to convince his
colleagues to cut funding for the program. He also used his time to read a
story to his daughters and share passages from one of his favorite
books,Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.
Hayes actions have drawn the ire of some of the more seasoned
"establishment" Republicans. According to The Huffington Post, Senator John
McCain said that Hayes, along with fellow ultraconservatives Rand Paul and
Representative Justin Amash, were "wacko birds" who got the most media
attention. "I think it can be harmful if there is a belief among the American

people that those people are reflective of the views of the majority of
Republicans," said McCain, adding, "They're not."