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Hagan goes to Washington with other freshmen legislators
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Published: November 17, 2008
WASHINGTON
Senator-elect Kay Hagan, D-N.C., joined other freshman legislators for orientation Monday on her first visit to Washington since knocking off Republican incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
Hagan met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and planned to spend time looking for a place to live when her term begins in January.
Hagan's victory – a win many thought unlikely as recently as six months ago – was one of six Senate seats Democrats took from Republicans in the election, helping the party expand its majority to at least 57 seats.
Hagan said she had formally requested seats on the Senate banking and armed services committees, and hoped to hear a decision by the end of the week.
The banking slot would give Hagan, a banking executive before she joined the North Carolina Senate, a voice in the ongoing national debate over regulation of a key industry in the state. Dole currently serves on the banking committee.
"It's very important for someone from North Carolina to serve on that committee," Hagan said in an interview.
As a freshman member of an institution that prizes seniority, it could prove difficult for Hagan to exert a great deal of influence during her first term.
Hagan said that she would work to be effective by making constituent service "a hallmark of her office."
"That's the way I operated as a state senator…I think it's crucial for citizens of North Carolina to know they can have responses to their requests," she said.
This week, Hagan and other freshman legislators will receive ethics training, advice on setting up their offices, and participate in leadership elections.
Hagan said she spent part of Sunday looking for a place to live, and planned to do so again later this week.
"Since I know I'm going to be here for at least six years, I'd love to buy a place," Hagan said. "I need to find a place fairly quickly, so if I can't find something, I'll just find a place to rent for a while."
She said she expected to return to North Carolina on most days when Congress is out of session.
"I'm going to play it by ear. That's my intent right now. I would envision sometimes my husband coming up and being here for the weekend," she said.
During the campaign, Hagan made an issue of the amount of time Dole spent in the state. A review of records by Media General News Service found that Dole spent less than two weeks in North Carolina in 2006.
Dole disputed the finding – which repeatedly appeared in Hagan's television commercials – but her office was unable to provide documents showing more visits.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668.
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