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| ===Health care=== | ===Health care=== | ||
| In December 2009, Hagan voted for the ] (commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act),<ref></ref> and she later voted for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00105 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote |publisher=Senate.gov |date= |accessdate=2010-08-29}}</ref> | In December 2009, Hagan voted for the ] (commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act),<ref></ref> and she later voted for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00105 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote |publisher=Senate.gov |date= |accessdate=2010-08-29}}</ref> | ||
| On September 27, 2013, Hagan voted to restore funding for ObamaCare as part of an amendment to legislation funding government operations for 45 days, and which also omitted House-passed language prioritizing debt payments if Congress fails to increase the nation’s borrowing limits.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00208 | title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > S.Amdt.1974 | publisher=Senate.gov | date= |accessdate=2013-09-27}}</ref> | |||
| ===Immigration=== | ===Immigration=== | ||
Revision as of 02:40, 1 October 2013
| Kay Hagan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from North Carolina | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2009Serving 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 71) Shelby, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Chip Hagan |
| Residence | Greensboro |
| Alma mater | Florida State University (B.A.) Wake Forest University School of Law (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney, Banker |
| Website | www |
Janet Kay Ruthven Hagan (/ˈheɪɡən/; born May 26, 1953) is the junior United States Senator from North Carolina, in office since January 2009. Previously she served in the North Carolina Senate from 1999 to 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party and is viewed as a moderate member of her party.
When Hagan defeated Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole in the 2008 United States Senate election, she became the first woman to defeat an incumbent woman in a Senate election.
Early life and education
Hagan was born Janet Kay Ruthven 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 U.S. Navy. She spent most of her childhood in Lakeland, Florida. Leaving the tire business, her father branched out into real estate development, primarily focused on industrial warehouses and warehouse-centered business parks in the Lakeland and Polk County, Florida area. With business success came political engagement, in this case with the Democratic Party, with her father later becoming mayor of Lakeland. To this day, the multigenerational Ruthven family remains one of the wealthiest and most politically influential families in Lakeland and Southwest Central Florida.
Hagan also spent summers on her grandparents' farm in Chesterfield, South Carolina, where she helped string tobacco and harvest watermelons. As a child, Hagan engaged in her earliest political activity: placing bumper stickers on cars for her uncle, Lakeland native and U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles (D-FL), who later became Florida Governor following his service in the U.S. Senate. In the 1970s, she was an intern at the Capitol, operating an elevator that carried senators, including her uncle, to and from the Chamber.
She later earned a B.A. degree from Florida State University in 1975 and a J.D. degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1978, later pursuing a career as both an attorney and banker. While a student at Florida State, Hagan became a member of the Chi Omega women's fraternity.
North Carolina legislature
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). 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
2008 election
Main article: United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2008After Hagan first decided not to run against Elizabeth Dole, the Swing State Project announced on October 26, 2007, that two independent sources had reported that Hagan would, in fact, run. Hagan made her candidacy official on October 30, 2007. 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 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. 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. Hagan was helped by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's aggressive push for North Carolina's 15 electoral votes and by 527 groups lobbying on her behalf. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee expended more money in North Carolina than in any other state during the 2008 election season.
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). Hagan trounced Dole in the state's five largest counties—Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Forsyth and Cumberland. She also did very well in the eastern part of the state, actually outperforming Obama in that region.
Husband
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. Hagan herself was not a member of the club. Greensboro Country Club admitted its first black member in 1995.
"Godless" ad
In late October, the Dole campaign released a television ad that stated 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 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." The ad aired across North Carolina. 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 "it never questions her faith," and "the issue is why she was there. There's no question about her faith. I think it's fair game."
Hagan, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro and a former Sunday school teacher, condemned the ad as "fabricated and pathetic." Hagan also filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court accusing Dole of defamation and libel. Following Hagan's victory, the lawsuit was dropped.
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: "mid all the attack ads on the airwaves competing to out-ugly one another, we think we've found a winner." The ad was described as "ridiculously outrageous," "indecent," a "gross misrepresentation," "worse than dishonest" and "beyond the bounds of acceptable political disagreement," among other harsh criticism. 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. Another ad issued by the Dole campaign in mid-October 2008 was described by The Fayetteville Observer as " the low mark in negative political campaigning."
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Political positions
Fiscal
Based on her voting record, Hagan received a score of 8/100 from the National Taxpayers Union.
On February 13, 2009, Hagan voted to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (commonly referred to as The Stimulus or The Recovery Act).
Abortion
Planned Parenthood quotes Hagan as saying "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." Hagan was endorsed by EMILY's List, an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.
Health care
In December 2009, Hagan voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act), and she later voted for Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
On September 27, 2013, Hagan voted to restore funding for ObamaCare as part of an amendment to legislation funding government operations for 45 days, and which also omitted House-passed language prioritizing debt payments if Congress fails to increase the nation’s borrowing limits.
Immigration
On December 18, 2010, Hagan was one of only five Democrats to vote against the DREAM Act.
LGBT issues
On December 18, 2010, Hagan voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.
Hagan opposed North Carolina's Amendment 1, a measure that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman in North Carolina's Constitution.
On March 27, 2013, Hagan announced her support of gay marriage.
Overtime pay
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.
Tobacco
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. 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.
Wall Street
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.
Hagan voted against a resolution to establish a national consumer credit usury rate.
PROTECT IP Act
Hagan was a co-sponsor on the PROTECT IP Act bill introduced in the Senate.
Gun Control
On April 17, 2013, Hagan voted to expand background checks for gun purchases. Hagan has been assigned an 'F' rating by the National Rifle Association.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kay Hagan | 2,249,311 | 52.65 | +7.7 | |
| Republican | Elizabeth Dole (incumbent) | 1,887,510 | 44.18 | −9.4 | |
| Libertarian | Chris Cole | 133,430 | 3.12 | +1.6 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 1,719 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Majority | 361,801 | ||||
| Turnout | 4,271,970 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Personal life
Hagan's husband, a transaction lawyer, has a net worth between $10.7 million and $40 million. The Hagans have three children: Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie.
See also
References
- ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Kay Hagan". U.S. News and World Report. 2008-11-04. Cite error: The named reference "U.S." was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/senators/hagan.htm
- "Senator Kay R. Hagan". U.S. Senate.
- Green, Jordan (2008-03-18). "Kay Hagan tries to ride populist wave". Yes Weekly.
- http://www.ruthvens.com/about-us/
- "Greeks in the 113th Congress". North-American Interfraternity Conference. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- Beckwith, Ryan Teague (2007-10-08). "Hagan will not run against Dole". News & Observer.
- Thompson, Trent (2007-10-25). "NC-Sen: Sources Say Kay Hagan to Challenge Dole". Swing State Project.
- Valenzuela, Michelle (2007-10-30). "Hagan to run". News & Observer.
- Hartsfield, Kerri. "Kay Hagan to Face Elizabeth Dole in November". WFMY News 2 / Associated Press.
- ^ "Is the Southern Strategy Dead?". American Prospect. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- "2008 North Carolina Senate General Election: Dole (R-i) vs Hagan (D)". Pollster.com. 2008-10-20.
- "Scrambling the red states". The Economist. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- Ryan Teague Beckwith (2008-11-04). "Obama coattails for Hagan?". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- Barbara Barrett (2008-11-05). "N.C. voters deny Dole, elect Hagan to U.S. Senate". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- USA Today. November 10, 2008 http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/NationalElectionResultsByStateCounty.aspx?sp=NC&oi=S&rti=G. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Thrush, Glenn (2008-10-22). "Club segregation enters N.C. race". Politico.
- ^ Kraushaar, Josh. Dole still keeping the faith. The Politico. October 29, 2008.
- ^ Brown, Campbell. Commentary: Mudslinging to get elected. CNN.com. October 29, 2008.
- Bob Dole Defends "Godless" TV Ad. Small Business VoIP. November 1, 2008.
- KayHagan.com. Kay on Dole Ad Attacking Her Christian Faith: A Fabricated, Pathetic Ad. October 30, 2008.
- Dole Sued for 'Godless' Attack Ad, ABC News. October 30, 2008.
- Dole challenger irate over suggestion she is 'godless'. CNN.com. October 30, 2008.
- Senator-elect Hagan drops suit over 'godless' TV ad.
- Brown, Campbell. Commentary: Mudslinging to get elected. CNN.com. October 29, 2008.
- Frank, James. Dole 'Godless' ad shows progress, sort of. Chicago Tribune. October 31, 2008.
- Dole's desperate turn to Big Lie advertising. The Charlotte Observer. Oct. 30, 2008.
- As election nears, negative ads a distraction. Asheville Citizen-Times. October 30, 2008.
- ^ Editorial: Dole’s attack on Hagan’s faith drives heated campaign lower. Greensboro News & Record. October 30, 2008.
- ELIZABETH DOLE ATTACKS KAY HAGAN´S CHRISTIAN FAITH. AmericanChronicle.com. November 02, 2008.
- "Dole's mistake: 'Godless' ad drove donors, voters to Hagan". Miami Herald. November 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- Dole’s new ads set the low mark in negative political campaigning. The Fayetteville Observer. October 15, 2008.
- "Lawmaker Ratings '". TheHill.com.
- http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/elections-politics/newly-elected-pro-choice-members-congress-805.htm
- http://www.kayhagan.com/press/emilys-list-endorses-kay-hagan-for-us-senate
- "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > S.Amdt.1974". Senate.gov. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
- Mascaro, Lisa; Oliphant, James (December 19, 2010). "DREAM Act's failure in Senate derails immigration agenda". Los Angeles Times.
- "Senate Vote 281 - Repeals 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'". The New York Times.
- http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/02/22/Senator_Kay_Hagan_Speaks_Out_Against_Antigay_Amendment_1/
- http://www.towleroad.com/2013/03/senator-kay-hagan-d-nc-comes-out-for-marriage-equality.html
- http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-1747
- http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/12/bill-would-end-overtime-pay-requirement-for-many-more-it-workers.ars
- Craver, Richard (2008-11-10). "Burr, Hagan promise to work for N.C." Winston-Salem Journal.
- "Senate Passes FDA Tobacco Bill". Wall Street Journal. June-12-2009.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kay Hagan's giving Elizabeth Dole a fight she never expected". Charlotte Observer. 2008-10-05.
- "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- "S.968 Cosponsors". THOMAS. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress – 1st Session". Legislation & Records. United States Senate. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
- "Where the Senate stands on guns - in one chart". The Washington Post. December 17, 2012.
- NC State Board of Elections website
- Hagan Davis Mangum Barrett Langley Hale PLLC - Who We Are
- "Senator Kay R. Hagan". U.S. Senate website. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
External links
- Senator Kay Hagan official U.S. Senate site
- Kay Hagan for U.S. Senate official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Profile at The News & Observer
| North Carolina Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJohn Blust | North Carolina State Senator from the 32nd district January 27, 1999 – January 29, 2003 |
Succeeded byLinda Garrou |
| Preceded byJohn Garwood | North Carolina State Senator from the 27th district January 29, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
Succeeded byDon Vaughan |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded byElizabeth Dole | U.S. senator (Class 2) from North Carolina January 3, 2009 – present Served alongside: Richard Burr |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded byErskine Bowles | Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from North Carolina (Class 2) 2008 (won) |
Succeeded byMost recent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byJim Risch R-Idaho |
United States Senators by seniority 63rd |
Succeeded byJeff Merkley D-Oregon |
| Statewide political officials of North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government |
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| Senate |
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| House |
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| Supreme Court (elected) | ||
| United States senators from North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 |  | |
| Class 3 | ||
| North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| Senators |
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| Representatives (ordered by district) |
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| Current United States senators | ||
|---|---|---|
| President: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Patty Murray (D) | ||
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- 1953 births
- American Presbyterians
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Female United States Senators
- Florida State University alumni
- Living people
- North Carolina Democrats
- North Carolina lawyers
- North Carolina State Senators
- People from Greensboro, North Carolina
- People from Lakeland, Florida
- People from Shelby, North Carolina
- United States Senators from North Carolina
- Wake Forest University School of Law alumni
- Women state legislators in North Carolina