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Hays was first elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] in the [[1942 Midterm Elections|1942 midterms]],<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> and re-elected numerous times.

Hays was first elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] in the [[1942 Midterm Elections|1942 midterms]],<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> and re-elected numerous times.

In 1949, Hays introduced the "Arkansas Plan" which advocated for providing blacks in [[the South]] certain civil rights and voting rights guarantees, though did not address segregation.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> Indeed, Hays was a signatory to the 1956 [[Southern Manifesto]] in opposition to the [[United States Supreme Court]] ruling ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'',<ref>[https://www.congress.gov/84/crecb/1956/03/12/GPO-CRECB-1956-pt4-3.pdf GPO-CRECB-1956-pt4-3.pdf]. ''Congressional Record''. Retrieved September 22, 2021.</ref> which he denounced.

In 1949, Hays, an opponent of the [[Ku Klux Klan]],<ref name=nytimesobituary/> introduced the "Arkansas Plan" which advocated for providing blacks in [[the South]] certain civil rights and voting rights guarantees, though did not address segregation.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> Indeed, Hays was a signatory to the 1956 [[Southern Manifesto]] in opposition to the [[United States Supreme Court]] ruling ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'',<ref>[https://www.congress.gov/84/crecb/1956/03/12/GPO-CRECB-1956-pt4-3.pdf GPO-CRECB-1956-pt4-3.pdf]. ''Congressional Record''. Retrieved September 22, 2021.</ref> which he denounced.

During the Little Rock crisis, Hays did not take either the side of [[Dwight Eisenhower]] nor Governor [[Orval Faubus]], instead seeking a reconciliation between the two.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> In 1958, he was defeated for re-election by the more staunchly segregationist Dale Alford, who utilized [[Democrat election fraud]] tactics to "win" the race.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/>

During the Little Rock crisis, Hays did not take either the side of [[Dwight Eisenhower]] nor Governor [[Orval Faubus]], instead seeking a reconciliation between the two.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> In 1958, he was defeated for re-election by the more staunchly segregationist Dale Alford, who utilized [[Democrat election fraud]] tactics to "win" the race.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/>