Former North Carolina US Sen. Kay Hagan dies at age 66

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, who stepped away from a banking career to be a stay-at-home mom and then ventured into politics, died Monday after a prolonged illness. She was 66.

Hagan died at her home in Greensboro of encephalitis, or brain inflammation, caused by a rare virus spread from ticks to humans, said her former Senate spokeswoman, Sadie Weiner. Hagan contracted Powassan virus in late 2016, and the subsequent brain inflammation made speaking and walking difficult for her.

"We already miss her humor and spirit as the hub of our family, a role she loved more than anything. Nobody could light up a room and make people feel welcome like Kay," her family said in a statement.

Former President Barack Obama remembered Hagan as someone who worked with him to pass the Affordable Care Act and who had a "reasoned, pragmatic voice."

"She was, quite simply, a terrific public servant — eager to find common ground, willing to rise above the partisan fray, and always focused on making progress for the people she served," he said in a statement.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, said he saw Hagan in person when he visited Durham on Sunday.

"She was a champion for North Carolina and a fierce defender of all its citizens," Biden said. "She stood for women's rights and marriage equality, not because it was politically popular, but because it was right."

She was crucial to passing the 2009 Recovery Act, an economic stimulus package, and the Affordable Care Act, he said.

"Her political courage helped pull our country out of recession and made life better for millions of her fellow Americans," Biden said.

Hagan defeated North Carolina's first female Republican U.S. senator, Elizabeth Dole, to become the...