U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes is taking heat for his warm-up act.

Speaking at a John McCain rally in Concord Saturday, the Republican said that opening speakers need to "make sure we don’t say something stupid" because the liberal media would distort the remarks.

He then accused Democrat Barack Obama of "inciting class warfare” and said that "liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God," according to The New York Observer.

A spokeswoman for Hayes, who is running for re-election against Democrat Larry Kissell, at first denied that Hayes had made the remark to the Washington-based political newspaper Politico, calling its account "irresponsible journalism."

However, a reporter with local radio station WFAE had audio of the remarks. (Politico posted the audio here.)

"I genuinely did not recall making the statement and, after reading it, there is no doubt that it came out completely the wrong way. I actually was trying to work to keep the crowd as respectful as possible, so this is definitely not what I intended," Hayes then said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes has named a new spokeswoman.

Amanda Little will take over as communications director for the Concord Republican. She previously worked for two years for Epiphany Productions, a political fundraising firm in Washington, D.C., which has done work for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Before that, she promoted restaurants in New York City.

Little, a 2002 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, grew up in Hattiesburg. She said her hometown has a lot in common with Hayes' district, especially in agriculture.

"A lot of the industries are the same," she said.

She replaces Hayes spokeswoman Carolyn Hern, who is leaving to earn a master's of business administration at Wake Forest University.