Republican Thom Tillis beats Kay Hagan in North Carolina Senate race
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- After a grueling months-long campaign that saw the candidates and outside groups spend over a $100 million on advertising, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan was defeated by Republican challenger Thom Tillis Tuesday.
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According to the North Carolina Board of Elections official results, however, Hagan carried every major metro area in the state except for Wilmington/New Hanover, which was a virtual tie at 47 percent with Tillis ahead by 60 votes.
In his victory speech, Tillis promised to work hard for North Carolina voters.
"We're going to fulfill our promises and make this country great again," said Tillis.
Tillis said he planned to do that with a conservative agenda.
"We let Americans make America great, not government," he said.
Click to watch Tillis' victory speech
In her concession speech, Hagan thanked her supporters who worked tirelessly on her behalf.
"This campaign has ended but our work to improve the lives of North Carolinians and build a better economy isn't over," said Hagan. "You weren't just standing with me. You were standing with working families all across North Carolina."
Click to watch Hagan's concession speech
State elections officials said it was a record turnout for a midterm election, with 2,717,920 voters casting ballots. In 2010, the turnout was 2,700,393.
"We are pleased that more than 2.7 million voters made such a strong statement for the democratic process - increasing early participation by over 20% and besting the state's prior midterm record," said Executive Director Kim Strach. "We commend the counties for their hard work and commitment on behalf of voters in our state."
The amount of money spent in the battle made it the most expensive in the nation as the Republican Party worked to swing the balance of power in the United States Senate to its side.
According to the Sunlight Foundation, more than $108 million was spent by candidates and outside groups, with nearly $77 million spent by independent organizations supporting or opposing the candidates.
At least 101,800 television ads aired in the race, according to the Center for Public Integrity, analyzing ad data from Kantar Media/CMAG. Duke University political science professor John Aldrich likened it to an arms race where neither side could afford to be outgunned.
"They essentially canceled each other out," Aldrich said. The difference between winning and losing, he added, is getting people to the polls Tuesday: "One percent extra is all that you need."
The campaign pitted Hagan, who described herself as a middle-of-the-road senator in a closely divided state, against Tillis and his record of helping lead the legislature during state government's historic shift to the right.
Tillis linked Hagan to an unpopular president, as he and his allies repeatedly said Hagan voted 95 percent of the time or more with Obama.
Hagan worked to make the election a referendum on the GOP-led General Assembly, and therefore Tillis, for what she called slashing public education spending, refusing Medicaid expansion and eroding voting rights. She called herself a fighter for middle-class families and for women, but said Tillis opposed an equal-pay bill and raising the federal minimum wage.
Sean Haugh, the Libertarian, appeared in one TV debate with Hagan and Tillis and used YouTube spots to discuss his limited-government, anti-war platform. An independent expenditure group spent more than $400,000 on Web ads highlighting Haugh's support for liberalized marijuana laws.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
