Sen. Kay Hagan (D., N.C.) may be trying to distance herself politically from President Obama, but it didn't prevent the latter from giving her praise during his speech at North Carolina State University Wednesday.
"Your senator, Kay Hagan, couldn't be here," he said. "But I wanted to thank her publicly for the great work she's doing."
One CNN reporter equated her excuse for missing Obama's event to the classic "I'm washing my hair" excuse used by people to avoid bad dates.
Hagan, a staunch supporter of Obamacare, has been hurt by the law's disastrous rollout. A poll by left-leaning Public Policy Polling showed the embattled senator trailing all Republican challengers vying for her seat this year. She has just a 30 percent approval rating among independents, according to the survey.
She, like the president, was caught on camera promising the federal law would not result in anyone losing their insurance.