Tillis, right, continued to tie Hagan to Barack Obama and Harry Reid. Hagan, Tillis spar in first debate

In between delivering scripted attack lines that have already been flooding the airwaves for months, North Carolina GOP challenger Thom Tillis on Wednesday night tried to inch toward the center in his first debate against Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan.

Appearing more confident and prepared than the incumbent, Tillis became the latest Republican Senate candidate to come out in support of expanding access to oral contraceptives. In a race with a wide gender gap, the state House speaker — who has been defending attacks from Democrats on women’s issues — for the first time went on the offense.


“First I believe contraception should be available — and probably more broadly than it is today,” Tillis said. “I actually agree with the American Medical Association that we should make contraception more widely available. I think over-the-counter oral contraception should be available without a prescription. If you do those kinds of things you will actually increase the access and reduce the barriers for having more options for women for contraception.”

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Tillis had said during a bruising primary this spring that he supported states being able to ban contraceptives all together — a statement his campaign later walked back — and Democrats have been hammering him for supporting limiting access to abortions.

But Hagan continued to attack Tillis on his “abysmal” record on women’s issues and his support of the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision.

“When women’s best interests are on the line, I will never back down,” she said.

The debate covered a variety of topics including the beheading of American journalists by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Affordable Care Act, minimum wage, the militarization of police, immigration reform and the Veterans Affairs scandal.

Tillis continued to tie Hagan to President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at every opportunity, but the senator distanced herself from the administration’s approach in Syria and called for greater action in dealing with ISIS. In line with her ads, she also touted her National Journal ranking as the most moderate senator and repeatedly said she would stand up to her party when it was right for the state.

( Also on POLITICO: Kay Hagan hits, then embraces Obama)

“Time is up,” she said in response to the president’s handling of ISIS. “Action is needed. I believe that we need to work with the moderate Syrian rebels. … I want to see the president’s plans, and I’m ready to take action.”

On potential immigration-related executive orders from the president, Hagan said she did not support the executive branch acting unilaterally and instead touted her support for the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration-reform bill that passed in 2013, clarifying that “it is not amnesty.”

“Speaker Tillis is complaining, but he has no plan,” she said.

Tillis did not offer alternatives on immigration reform or the Affordable Care Act. Instead he argued in every response that Hagan had not kept the promises she ran on in 2008 – even calling her “Kay 1.0 and Kay 2.0.”

“The only independence I’ve seen from Kay Hagan in six years is independence from the citizens of North Carolina,” he said.

( Also on POLITICO: Senate control ‘on knife’s edge’)

The debate, which was sponsored by North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, was moderated by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell and aired statewide by UNC-TV. The second debate will take place Oct. 7, with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos as moderator.

Both Hagan and Tillis cited a handful of numbers throughout the debate — specifically on cuts to public education — and argued about whose math was right.

At one point, Hagan said, “I’m actually insulted,” and reminded Tillis of her time as a former vice president of a bank and budget writer for the state.

Given the unpopularity of the state legislature, Tillis also rarely mentioned his role as state House speaker Wednesday night, instead pointing to his experience as a paper boy, PTA president and short-order cook.

“I’m a living example of someone who’s realized the American dream,” Tillis said in closing.