Networks Call Hagan over Dole

Democrat Kay Hagan will unseat Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) in one of the nastiest races of the 2008 election season, according to projections from CNN and CBS News.

Hagan leads Dole 59 percent to 38 percent with 4.5 percent of precincts reporting.

Hagan filed a defamation lawsuit against Dole Thursday for a pair of ads last week that sought to link Hagan to an atheist group. The ad accused Hagan of taking “Godless money” from atheist Godless America PAC and suggested Hagan would bring atheism to the U.S. Senate if she were elected to represent North Carolina. Hagan had responded with her own ad saying “Elizabeth Dole’s attacks on my Christian faith are offensive.”

Polls taken since last Wednesday show Hagan with a 4.3 percentage point lead, according to RealClearPolitics’ average.