J. D. Hayworth
A conservative firebrand who pivoted from Congress to cable news, shaping right-wing media with his blunt talk radio and television persona.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American television host and politician·Birthday: July 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
J.D. Hayworth’s career is a study in political communication, moving from the floor of the House to the airwaves. Elected in the Republican Revolution of 1994, he represented Arizona’s 5th district for a dozen years, establishing himself as a staunch immigration hawk and fiscal conservative. After a narrow defeat in 2006, he didn’t retreat from public life; instead, he amplified his voice. His Phoenix-based talk radio show became a local powerhouse, a platform he eventually left for a failed Senate primary run against John McCain. That loss cleared the path for his next act: as a prime-time host on the rising Newsmax TV network. There, Hayworth helped cement the channel's identity as a challenger to Fox News, bringing his congressional experience and pugnacious style to a national audience hungry for conservative commentary.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
J. was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When J. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
J.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served six consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative from Arizona, from 1995 to 2007.
- Hosted 'Newsmax Prime,' a flagship evening talk show on the Newsmax TV network.
- Built a significant following as a conservative talk radio host on Phoenix's KFYI for several years.
Did You Know?
He was a television sportscaster in Florida before entering politics.
Hayworth lost his 2010 U.S. Senate primary race to incumbent Senator John McCain.
He is a member of the Cherokee Nation, one of the few Native Americans to serve in Congress.
“Secure the border first; that's the foundation of any serious policy discussion.”
