By Megen George
New Bern, NC – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for North Carolina Kay Hagan was critical of the record of rival Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole during an interview with PRE's "Down East Journal." Hagan is a state senator from Greensboro seeking to defeat Dole, who has served in the Senate since 2002.
Hagan accused Dole of supporting policies that have allowed the U.S. to sink into debt, and that Dole has done nothing to support homeowners facing foreclosure.
"What has been going on under their watch?" Hagan asked in reference to Dole's and President Bush's response to the mortgage crisis. Hagan is proposing a 45-day waiting period before foreclosure, as well as counseling for homeowners and a potential short-term moratorium on foreclosures.
Hagan was also critical of Dole and President Bush in regards to illegal immigration.
"Elizabeth Dole has been absent from North Carolina, and that is why she does not understand what's been going on in North Carolina," Hagan said.
"We need a tough, practical solution that's fair to taxpayers and addresses the root of the problem," she said. Hagan said she does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the United States.
Dealing with illegal immigration and border control is the federal government's job, Hagan added. Hagan said forcing states to pay for immigration enforcement robs taxpayers of funds that should be going toward road maintenance and internal state projects.
During the interview with PRE, Hagan also said she is against drilling in the U.S. as a solution to high oil prices, and that the economy will be the No. 1 issue of concern for North Carolinians in the November election.