Democrat takes Senate seat in North Carolina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Kay Hagan won the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina on Tuesday unseating Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole, a huge victory for Democrats in their drive to strengthen their control of Congress, Fox News projected.

Hagan, a state senator, was declared the winner of a seat that has been in Republican hands for 35 years. The Southern state has voted Republican in the last seven presidential elections.