For more than a decade, Senator Kay R. Hagan has worked for the people of North Carolina as a champion for working families, quality education, sound fiscal policy, and a clean environment.  She and her husband, Chip Hagan, have lived in Greensboro for more than 30 years and raised their three children there: Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie.  In 2008, Senator Hagan was elected to the U.S. Senate by North Carolinians wanting active, effective leaders who will work tirelessly on the issues that matter to the state.

Senator Hagan was born in Shelby, North Carolina. A graduate of Florida State University and Wake Forest Law School, she worked at North Carolina National Bank (a predecessor to Bank of America) for 10 years, becoming a vice president in the estates and trust division.  She left the bank to spend more time with her children and was an active participant in her Greensboro community, becoming involved in local charities, and shuttling carpools to soccer practices.

Senator Hagan got an early start in public service when she helped her uncle, “Walkin’ Lawton” Chiles, the former governor and U.S. Senator from Florida, paste bumper stickers on supporters’ cars. Senator Hagan and her husband were both active in Guilford County Democratic politics and in 1992 and 1996, Governor Jim Hunt asked her to run his gubernatorial campaign in Guilford County.  In 1998, Senator Hagan ran for the North Carolina State Senate, where she served for 10 years.

In the North Carolina State Senate, Senator Hagan earned a reputation as a commonsense hard-worker interested in results, not partisan bickering.  As co-chair of the state Budget Committee, Senator Hagan made record investments in education, raised teacher pay, and increased the minimum wage, all while cutting taxes, increasing the state’s “Rainy Day” fund, and balancing five straight budgets.

A champion of education throughout her career in public service, Senator Hagan has supported the expansion of high-quality early childhood education; innovative learning programs like North Carolina’s “Learn and Earn” program; and dropout prevention measures.  She also wrote the law that requires all high school students in North Carolina to complete a course on financial literacy before graduating from high school.  Appointed to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Hagan will continue working to make education more accessible and affordable.

A mother of two daughters, Senator Hagan is proud that the first piece of legislation she co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which reestablished a fair rule for filing claims of pay discrimination based on race, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability. 

As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee while the national debate about healthcare heats up, Senator Hagan will work to reduce the cost of healthcare delivery using electronic medical records; ensuring that our children continue to receive healthcare and coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); finding innovative ways to help more Americans access healthcare in a preventative manner; and exploring options to make sure all Americans are insured.

Hailing from a proud military family, Senator Hagan is a strong supporter of the military and our veterans and is committed to maintaining North Carolina’s status as the “most military-friendly state in the nation.”  Senator Hagan’s father-in-law is a 95-year old retired two-star Marine general, her father and brother both served in the Navy, and her husband, Chip, himself a Vietnam veteran, attended Wake Forest Law School with help from the G.I. Bill.   Currently, Senator Hagan has two nephews serving on active duty in our nation’s Armed Services. Senator Hagan was a staunch supporter of the armed forces in the North Carolina legislature, allocating funding to create three family assistance centers throughout the state and granting in-state tuition rates at universities for troops and families stationed in North Carolina.  Appointed to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Hagan has already made it a point to visit several North Carolina military facilities, and will continue to do so regularly.  She will continue her strong support of the military through her work on Armed Services and membership in the Senate’s bipartisan National Guard Caucus.

Understanding that healthy small businesses drive economic growth in North Carolina and across the country, Senator Hagan has been supportive of economic incentive packages that encourage businesses to relocate and expand in North Carolina.  During her time as a state senator, North Carolina was repeatedly named as one of the best states in the country in which to do business by Forbes.com, as well as Site Selection magazine.  Senator Hagan has worked to make rural areas more competitive, supporting funding for initiatives such as the Rural Economic Development Center.  Named to the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee, Senator Hagan will continue to support initiatives that will create jobs in North Carolina and foster individual entrepreneurial spirit.