 In this capacity, he helped obtain funding for railroad construction and improvements to the upper Holston River.He returned to the House in 1849, where he was elected Speaker by a 38–31 vote, and continued championing railroad construction.In 1851, a sizeable faction of the Democratic Party, angry with the policies of incumbent 1st district congressman Andrew Johnson, convinced Haynes to run against him in the general election (the Whig Party opted not to field a candidate).