Johnny Hayes, a prominent Democratic fundraiser who managed finances for the two presidential campaigns of former Vice President Al Gore, died Saturday. He was 67.
His family issued a statement through Deputy Gov. Stuart Brunson saying Hayes died of stomach cancer at his home in Sideview, about 30 miles northeast of Nashville.
Hayes first managed Gore's campaign finances when he was elected to the U.S. House in 1976 and for his subsequent Senate victories. As a fellow Tennessee native and longtime Gore confidant, Hayes was tapped to lead the finance effort for Gore's presidential bids in 1988 and 2000.
He was a great friend and a wonderful ally, Gore said in a statement. I never would have been elected to Congress without him. He was the key, for me and for many others.
Hayes was prominent in other races. He led fundraising efforts for Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen's campaign in 2002 and again when Bredesen won re-election in a 2006 landslide.
Many knew Johnny as a powerful business and political leader; Andrea and I knew him as a friend, Bredesen said in a statement, referring to his wife, Tennessee first lady Andrea Conte.
After being sworn in as vice president in 1993, Gore also nominated Hayes to become a director of the Tennessee Valley Authority. In 1999, Hayes left the country's largest public utility to become chief fundraiser for Gore's 2000 presidential race.
After Gore lost to George W. Bush, Hayes was hired to lobby Congress on behalf of troubled electric wholesaler Enron Corp., which collapsed in late 2001.
Hayes also was known for gathering an extensive collection of political memorabilia, including a copper button from George Washington's inauguration, a ticket to Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial and an Abraham Lincoln campaign banner.
I've always been interested in politics, but I got started collecting at the convention in '88, and did it with a passion for several years, Hayes told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview. I just have a hard time getting rid of anything.
His collection included a Votamatic voting machine from Palm Beach County, Fla., complete with the butterfly ballot made infamous during the 2000 election.
Hayes served in the Cabinet of then-Gov. Ned McWherter from 1991 to 1993.
Tennessee Ethics Commission filings indicate Hayes was registered to lobby Tennessee lawmakers for 13 companies, including UST Inc., the maker of Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless tobacco. Hayes had personally given nearly $70,000 to candidates for federal office and Democratic causes since 1993, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Hayes graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 1961. He is survived by his wife, Mary Howard Reese Hayes, and three children.
Funeral plans were incomplete Saturday.
