Tom Udall: “today I rise to pay tribute to former Senator Kay Hagan, who left us this week, much too early, at the age of 66. Kay…”

“today I rise to pay tribute to former Senator Kay Hagan, who left us this week, much too early, at the age of 66. Kay and I entered the Senate together, in 2009. Our class of freshman Democratic Senators was very close, and I spent a lot of time with Kay. She was warm and vivacious and 100 percent committed to her home State of North Carolina. Kay was the first woman Democratic Senator elected from North Carolina, and she beat a formidable incumbent. By the time she entered the Senate, she had already gained a reputation in her State as a leader and a fighter, having served in the State senate for 10 years. Kay was a woman of great strength, grace, and accomplishment. She was a lawyer, a banker, a legislator, a mother of three, and grandmother of five. Kay came to the Senate to get things done for North Carolina and the Nation. To be effective, she worked across the aisle to find solutions to the everyday problems facing Americans. When she entered the Senate, she said, ``We have a Congress now that is kind of divided, and I want to be one of the ones that helps bring people together.'' Kay was a woman of principle. She was a key vote in support of the Affordable Care Act--that resulted in millions of Americans gaining access to health care. She stood in favor of choice for women, gay marriage, equal pay for women, the Violence Against Women Act, and expanding background checks on gun sales.…”