RALEIGH — Outgoing U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan said Thursday she spent her last six years in Washington doing all she could for North Carolina citizens and urged her colleagues staying behind to focus more on solving issues and less on partisanship.
The Greensboro Democrat, making her farewell address on the Senate floor in Washington as this year's session nears adjournment, called her years as a U.S. senator "some of the most rewarding and transformative of my life."
Hagan, 61, lost narrowly to Republican Thom Tillis last month in a race that saw spending by the candidates and outside groups exceed $100 million.
Hagan's voice cracked with emotion at times during her speech, such as when she talked about her family.
Hagan talked of a law she pushed that helped victims of contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune over 30 years get medical screening and help. She said it was "one of the greatest honors of my life" to work to get the law passed, working with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
People are also reading…
Hagan, 61, also talked about a bill heading to President Barack Obama's desk this week that improves newborn medical screenings across the country to detect serious conditions more quickly.
