After nasty, expensive battle, Democrat Kay Hagan unseats Senator Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, November 4th 2008, 9:26 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. - When she was initially offered a chance to challenge Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Kay Hagan declined. Dole was an incumbent that few thought could be defeated.

Pressured by her allies, however, Hagan eventually changed her mind. Now she's headed to the U.S. Senate after defeating Dole, who was seeking a second term.

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Hagan's rise to the U.S. Senate mirrors that of her uncle, former Florida Sen. Lawton Chiles. Both were relatively unknown state senators when they began their campaigns. Chiles earned the nickname "Walkin' Lawton" by walking 1,003 miles across the state to introduce himself to voters.

Hagan also journeyed around North Carolina as she tried to compete with Dole's famous name — taking a car, mostly.

Hagan worked in the banking industry before her three children were born, and entered politics as a county manager for former Gov. Jim Hunt's campaigns in the 1990s. She won a seat in the state Senate a decade ago — beating a Republican incumbent — and quickly rose through the ranks to become a chief budget writer.

In that role, Hagan influenced billions in state spending. The 55-year-old spent much of her time pushing Democratic efforts to increase funding for education. Along the way, Hagan became one of the most powerful women in Raleigh, rising through a leadership usually dominated by men.

Dole and Hagan were locked in one of the closest and most expensive races in the nation, a race that turned sour in the final days.

When Dole aired an ad questioning Hagan's credentials as a Christian, Hagan's response was quick and aggressive. She sued Dole, accusing her of libel and defamation, and went to the airwaves to defend her faith, telling voters she teaches Sunday school and serves as a church elder.

"Sure politics is a tough business," she told voters, "but my campaign is about creating jobs and fixing our economy, not bearing false witness against fellow Christians."