Kay Hagan (1953–2019), former North Carolina senator

Kay Hagan was the first Democratic woman elected to the U.S. Senate from North Carolina. In 2008 she was a state senator when she beat Republican Elizabeth Dole. She lost her seat in 2014 to Republican Thom Tillis in a close contest that was one of the most expensive Senate races ever. In the Senate, Hagan was a strong advocate for women and a prominent backer of the Affordable Care Act. After discovering that the U.S. Senate swimming pool was for men only, she worked with Senator Chuck Schumer to end that practice.