Former U.S. senator Hagan dies
Democrat won in North Carolina in 2008, defeating Elizabeth Dole
Kay Hagan, a moderate Democrat from North Carolina who pursued a successful banking career before becoming a fulltime mother, then served one term in the U.S. Senate after securing a 2008 victory over incumbent Elizabeth Dole, a Republican considered Washington royalty, died Oct. 28 at her home in Greensboro, North Carolina. She was 66.
A family representative, Ross Harris, said the cause was complications of Powassan virus, which can cause encephalitis. Hagan had been diagnosed with the tick-borne virus in 2016. The day before her death, she visited with former vice president Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
In a statement, Biden called Hagan “a champion for North Carolina and a fierce defender of all its citizens,” adding that “she was a crucial partner” in passing the Affordable Care Act and the 2009 economic stimulus package.
Hagan, a former vice president at what is now Bank of America, lost her Senate seat in 2014 to Thom Tillis, the Republican speaker of the North Carolina House. She had previously spent a decade as a state senator in Raleigh, and decided to run for Congress
after several high-profile Democrats backed away from the 2008 race.
Her opponent, Dole, had served as a Cabinet secretary in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and was the wife of Bob Dole, the former Senate majority leader and Republican candidate for president.