Kay Hagan
United States Senator from North Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2009 Serving with Richard Burr
Preceded by	Elizabeth Dole
North Carolina State Senator from the 27th district
In office January 29, 2003 – January 6, 2009
Preceded by	John Garwood
Succeeded by	Don Vaughan
North Carolina State Senator from the 32nd district
In office January 27, 1999 – January 29, 2003
Preceded by	John Blust
Succeeded by	Linda Garrou
Personal details
Born	Janet Kay Ruthven (1953-05-26) May 26, 1953 (age 59)[1] Shelby, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Chip Hagan
Residence	Greensboro
Alma mater	Florida State University (B.A.) Wake Forest University School of Law (J.D.)
Profession	Attorney, Banker
Religion	Presbyterian
Website	www.hagan.senate.gov

Kay Ruthven Hagan ( /ˈheɪɡən/; born May 26, 1953)^[1] is the junior United States Senator from North Carolina and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, she was in the North Carolina Senate.

When Hagan defeated Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole in the 2008 United States Senate election, she became the first woman to defeat a female incumbent in a Senate election.

Early life and education[link]

Hagan was born Janet Kay Ruthven^[2] in Shelby, North Carolina, the daughter of Jeanette (née Chiles), a homemaker, and Josie Perry "Joe" Ruthven, a tire salesman. Both her father and her older brother served in the Navy.^[3] She spent most of her childhood in Lakeland, Florida, of which her father later became mayor.^[4] She also spent summers on her grams' farm in Chesterfield, South Carolina, where she helped string tobacco and harvest watermelons.^[1] As a child, Hagan engaged in her earliest political activity: placing bumper stickers on cars for her uncle, Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles. In the 1970s, she was an intern at the Capitol, operating an elevator that carried senators, including her uncle, to and from the Chamber.^[1]

North Carolina legislature[link]

Hagan was first elected to the North Carolina General Assembly as state senator for the 32nd district in 1998 (due to redistricting, her constituency later became the 27th district).^[1] During the 1998 campaign, her uncle Lawton Chiles walked the district with her. She represented most of central Guilford County, including most of Greensboro.

U.S. Senate[link]

2008 election[link]

After Hagan first decided not to run against Elizabeth Dole,^[5] the Swing State Project announced on October 26, 2007, that two independent sources had reported that Hagan would, in fact, run.^[6] Hagan made her candidacy official on October 30, 2007.^[7][8] She defeated investment banker Jim Neal of Chapel Hill, podiatrist Howard Staley of Chatham County, Lexington truck driver Duskin Lassiter, and Lumberton attorney Marcus Williams in the May 2008 Democratic primary.

Hagan at a Democratic campaign rally in 2008

Hagan was initially given little chance against Dole, and she was recruited to the race only after more prominent North Carolina Democrats such as Governor Mike Easley, former Governor Jim Hunt and Congressman Brad Miller all declined to compete against Dole.^[9] However, most polling from September onward showed Hagan slightly ahead of Dole, although Hagan had previously fallen behind by as many as 17 points at one point.^[10] Hagan was helped by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's aggressive push for North Carolina's 15 electoral votes^[11][12] and by 527 groups lobbying on her behalf.^[9] The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee expended more money in North Carolina than in any other state during the 2008 election season.^[9]

In the November election, Hagan won by an unexpectedly wide margin, winning 53 percent of the vote to Dole's 44 percent—the largest margin of victory for a Senate race in North Carolina in 30 years, and the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent Senator in the 2008 cycle. It has been speculated that the wider-than-expected margin was partly due to anger over negative campaign ads by the Dole campaign in the latter stages of the race (see "Godless" ad below).^[13] Hagan trounced Dole in the state's five largest counties—Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Forsyth and Cumberland.^[14] She also did very well in the eastern part of the state, actually outperforming Obama in that region.

Husband[link]

Hagan (center) with her husband (right) and lobbyist Tony Podesta.

In October 2008, The Politico reported that Hagan's husband Chip Hagan III, a former Democratic county leader, had been a member of 1,000-member Greensboro Country Club for years, despite the club's de facto segregation and refusal to admit black members.^[15] Hagan herself was not a member of the club. Greensboro Country Club admitted its first black member in 1995.^[15] Over the summer, Chip Hagan had also been criticized by Republicans for part ownership of domestic oil wells as gasoline prices increased for consumers.^[15]

"Godless" ad[link]

In late October, the Dole campaign released a television ad that stated that the leader of the Godless Americans PAC had held "a secret fundraiser in Kay Hagan's honor." The ad showed sound bites of group members espousing their views, then stated that Kay Hagan "hid from cameras, took Godless money... what did Hagan promise in return?" It ended with a photo of Hagan and a female voice saying, "There is no God."^[16][17] The ad aired across North Carolina^[16] Hagan's campaign says the ad sought to put inflammatory words in their candidate's mouth. The Dole campaign says the ad correctly shows whom Hagan will associate with in order to raise campaign funds. On November 1, Bob Dole also defended it, asserting that "it never questions her faith," and that "the issue is why she was there. There's no question about her faith. I think it's [the ad's] fair game."^[18]

Hagan, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro and a former Sunday school teacher,^[17] condemned the ad as "fabricated and pathetic."^[19] Hagan also filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court accusing Dole of defamation and libel.^[20][21] Following Hagan's victory, the lawsuit was dropped.^[22]

The ad met exceptionally strong criticism from the public as well as many local and several national media outlets. CNN's Campbell Brown said about the ad: "[A]mid all the attack ads on the airwaves competing to out-ugly one another, we think we've found a winner."^[23] The ad was described as "ridiculously outrageous,"^[24] "indecent,"^[25] a "gross misrepresentation,"^[26] "worse than dishonest"^[27] and "beyond the bounds of acceptable political disagreement,"^[27] among other harsh criticism.^[28] The media reported that within 48 hours of the first ad Hagan received over 3,600 contributions, including major donors as well as individual support from a range of atheists, agnostics and other religious beliefs who felt they were being attacked by Dole.^[29] Another ad issued by the Dole campaign in mid-October 2008 was described by The Fayetteville Observer as "[setting] the low mark in negative political campaigning."^[30]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Personnel
  • Subcommittee on SeaPower
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities (Chairwoman)
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Political positions[link]

Abortion[link]

Hagan is pro-choice, and told Planned Parenthood, "I am a strong supporter of a woman's right to choose... I would like to see abortions be safe, legal, and rare. These decisions are best made privately by a woman in consultation with her doctor." ^[31] Hagan was also endorsed by EMILY's List, an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.^[32]

Health care[link]

In December 2009, Hagan voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,^[33] and she later voted for Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.^[34]

Immigration[link]

On December 18, 2010, Hagan was one of only five Democrats to vote against the Dream Act.^[35]

LGBT issues[link]

On December 18, 2010, Hagan voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.^[36][37]

Hagan opposes North Carolina's Amendment 1, a measure that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman in North Carolina's Constitution.^[38]

Overtime pay[link]

Hagan is the lead sponsor of the "Computer Professionals Update Act", introduced in October 2011. The bill would expand the definition of "computer professionals" relating to the overtime exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act.^[39][40]

Tobacco[link]

Hagan differs from the Democratic Party on the issue of FDA regulation of the tobacco industry. Hagan opposed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was cosponsored in the 110th Congress by Barack Obama. Lorillard Tobacco Company is based in her hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.^[41] Hagan was the only Democratic senator to oppose the bill when it came to a vote in the Senate. The bill passed with 79 votes in favor to 17 in opposition, including Hagan.^[42]

Wall Street[link]

Hagan at first refused to take a position on the Wall Street bailout bill, but said she opposed it after the Senate passed the bill.^[43]

Hagan voted against a resolution to establish a national consumer credit usury rate.^[44]

PROTECT IP Act[link]

Hagan was a co-sponsor on the PROTECT IP Act bill introduced in the Senate.^[45]

Electoral history[link]

Personal life[link]

Hagan's husband, a transaction lawyer,^[47] has a net worth between $10.7 million and $40 million.^[43] The Hagans have three children: Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie.^[48]

See also[link]

• North Carolina Democratic Party

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kay Hagan

Wikinews has related news: Kay Hagan sues Elizabeth Dole over "Godless" television advertisement

• Senator Kay Hagan official U.S. Senate site
• Kay Hagan for U.S. Senate official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Profile at The News & Observer

v t e Current statewide political officials of North Carolina U.S. Senators Richard Burr Kay Hagan State government Beverly Perdue, Governor Walter Dalton, Lieutenant Governor Elaine Marshall, Secretary of State Roy Cooper, Attorney General Steve Troxler, Commissioner of Agriculture Wayne Goodwin, Commissioner of Insurance Cherie Berry, Commissioner of Labor June Atkinson, Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Cowell, State Treasurer Beth Wood, State Auditor Senate Walter Dalton, President Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore Harry Brown, Majority Leader Martin Nesbitt, Minority Leader House Thom Tillis, Speaker Paul Stam, Majority Leader Joe Hackney, Minority Leader Supreme Court (elected) Sarah Parker Chief Justice Mark Martin Robert H. Edmunds, Jr. Paul Martin Newby Patricia Timmons-Goodson Robin E. Hudson Barbara Jackson AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

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