[1] Haines began his political life as a member of the Federalist Party, but supported Andrew Jackson in the 1824 presidential election, as did most of his neighbors in Sussex County.

[1] Haines continued his private legal practice for fifteen more years before entering public office in 1838, when he was elected to represent Sussex County in the New Jersey Legislative Council by a large majority.

[1] Upon his inauguration, he immediately became involved in the Broad Seal War, a bitter partisan controversy over the 1838 elections to the United States Congress.

[1] During his first term as Governor, Haines led efforts for constitutional reform consistent with a belated transition to Jacksonian democracy.

In his own words, Haines argued that the state constitution had "provisions which are at least inexpedient if not wholly incompatible with the spirit of the present age.

To smooth partisan concerns over reform, Haines called for a bipartisan convention on the argument that the constitution was "a measure which is too momentous to be made the subject of party difference.

Haines suggested that the Council and State Assembly "inquire into the expediency of appointing a general superintendent," and the office was introduced in 1844.

Haines additionally complained that troops were poorly disciplined, and that "the ordinary militia musters... are generally admitted to retard rather than to promoted improvement; and to be a tax upon the time and service of the citizen without any corresponding benefit.

He called on the legislature to make education its main priority, as "not many more than one half of the children in the state receive instruction in the schools [and]... a very large proportion must be growing up in ignorance."

[1] After his second term ended in 1851, Haines returned to the private practice of law in Hamburg for one year, taking on prominent cases of national importance.

[1] As a jurist responsible for the Newark circuit, Haines won the praise of fellow justice Lucius Elmer, who said "few judges were ever freer from the influence of passion or prejudice.

"[1] He continued to oppose calls for war until the Battle of Fort Sumter, when he became an active supporter of the Union cause and assisted in efforts to raise troops.

After leaving the bench, Haines supported Horatio Seymour in 1868 because he was "steadily opposed to most of the measures of reconstruction adopted by the Republican Party.