The old politician and his young protégé have kept in close contact over the years. When Mabus took the oath of office last week, Rayborn was there - by personal invitation.
"I'm proud because it's a huge honor for a Mississippi person to climb this high," Rayborn said. "I'm also proud because this is someone I have known since I was 4 years old - someone I actually know personally who has basically invested his time and effort into me."
The friendship began 18 years ago, when Rayborn unknowingly did Mabus a huge favor. The then-governor was giving a speech at Jackson's Deposit Guaranty to a tough crowd when the young Rayborn - who had become separated from his mother, Rhonda Rayborn, during a shopping trip - burst into the room.
"I just ran into the room in the middle of his speech and yelled, 'Hey, Ray Mabus!'" Rayborn said. "He comes running out of the room afterward, wanting to know who I was. He liked it; he thought it was funny. He told my mom he'd had a tough crowd at the speech and that kind of lightened things up."
Even at age 4, Rayborn knew Mabus on sight because of his daily habit of watching the afternoon news with his parents. He also asked the governor where George H. W. Bush was - since the national news came on TV right after state news, Rayborn was sure the governor and president were always close by.
Rayborn also unknowingly quoted his grandmother's anti-Mabus slogan, telling the governor, "No lottery Ray Mabus."
Mabus was moved by the youngster, who continued to provide him with hilarious, childish moments.
"He brought me with him to the Neshoba County Fair to help him out with his campaign," Rayborn said. "I was selling lemonade for a nickel, and a man handed me a $20 bill. I said, 'Thank you,' and put his money in the box.
"He was standing there asking if he was gonna get any change, and I told him I was 4 years old and I couldn't count, and Mabus appreciated his donations and wouldn't waste a penny of his money."
Rayborn even took his unabashed support for Mabus on the air, appearing with the governor on a radio talk show during his Democratic primary run against former congressman Wayne Dowdy.
"They asked me on the air what I thought about Wayne Dowdy, and I said, 'The only person that's gonna vote for Wayne Dowdy is Wayne Dowdy,'" Rayborn recalled.
At that point, the friendship was cemented.
Rayborn said he has kept up with Mabus throughout his life. He attended Mabus' wedding, received a gift from the governor when he graduated high school and in 18 years has never missed Mabus' annual Christmas party at his home in Madison.
While in Washington, D.C., awaiting Mabus' swearing-in ceremony, Rayborn got to tour some of the nation's most important landmarks. He visited the Lincoln Memorial; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; and received a behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol from Brookhaven's Kern Hoff, who works with Sen. Roger Wicker.
Rayborn also visited Nationals Park - home of the Washington Nationals baseball team - and saw Democrat and Republican congressmen square off in a fundraiser on the diamond. He said Wicker turned his cap inside out and wore it as a rally cap, and Rep. Gregg Harper had a hard time running the bases. He did not say whether Harper's difficulties resulted in an eventual win by the Democrats.
"Some of those old congressman can hit that baseball," Rayborn said. "There were some amazing plays."
After Mabus' swearing-in as the 75th Secretary of the Navy - which included an opening address by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a Marine Corps drill team and a naval gunfire salute - Rayborn caught back up with his governor and was invited back to Washington to have lunch with Mabus at his new office in the Pentagon.
"When he was running for governor, his slogan was, 'Mississippi Will Never be Last Again,'" Rayborn said. "Now he's just gotten bigger, and it's not just Mississippi he's trying to make a better place. It's all of America.
"I told him I'd been raising money for him for a long time, but I think I'm gonna need a bigger lemonade stand," Rayborn continued. "He looked at me and laughed and said yes, I will need a lot bigger lemonade stand."
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