Back in 2013, former Miss America Mallory Hagan, the Democratic nominee for the upcoming election for Alabama’s congressional district seat, proclaimed herself a New Yorker. However, since making those 2013 remarks, Hagan has returned to her home state of Alabama to seek political office.
An article from Yellowhammer News published in August referenced Hagan’s 2013 remarks, and in an appearance on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” Hagan defended them.
Hagan was asked by “Capitol Journal” host Don Dailey if she thought those remarks had been “turned around” on her. Hagan said she did think that and explained why she thought describing herself as a “New Yorker” at the time was appropriate.
“I actually do,” she replied. “You know, I moved to New York when I was 19 because I didn’t feel as though I saw opportunity for myself here in Alabama. And I wanted to explore the world. I think we should inspire and encourage all of our young people to do that. It’s a great learning experience to work in a place like New York, or D.C., or Los Angeles, or Chicago, or whatever it might be.”
She said that she had moved to New York with less than $1,000 in her pocket without a job, place to live or friends, and then made the extraordinary claim she “went on 22 job interviews the very first day” she was there.
“The reason the interview where I spoke about wanting to be considered a New Yorker – considering myself one – is there is a bit of a rite of passage in New York. New Yorkers don’t consider you valid, I guess, until you’ve lived there for a certain amount of time. There’s almost this time-bound rite of passage living in New York that other people consider you one of their own.”
“I do think it was turned around,” Hagan added. “I think there was much value to the time I spent there, and I plan to bring those experiences to the role of congresswoman.”
The Democratic congressional hopeful was pressed by Dailey on her Second Amendment and abortion stances. She said she didn’t hear about Second Amendment issues or the abortion issue on the campaign trail face-to-face with people, but advocated restrictions on gun rights and touted an endorsement from gun-control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, described by left-leaning Mother Jones as the “NRA’s worst nightmare.”
“I’ve taken a stance and I’ve talked a lot about both of those topics,” she said. “It’s just not what people are coming to me face-to-face to talk about. I’m a proponent of the Second Amendment. I grew up in a household where my family, my father, my grandfather, everyone hunts. Thanksgiving Day, it’s a tradition in our family. I just believe we can take some measures to make sure our kids are safer when they go to school, and our streets are safer for our police officers. You know, a longer waiting period shouldn’t hurt anybody who is a law-abiding citizen. Perhaps raising the age to purchase a weapon shouldn’t hurt anybody who is a law-abiding citizen. Universal background check shouldn’t do that either. Those are just three things I’m proud to be a proponent of. I’m a ‘gun sense’ candidate with Moms Demand Action.”
She also defended her stance on abortion, citing her own experiences with sexual abuse and assault as the reason.
“I’m a woman who has been both sexually abused as a child and sexually assaulted as an adult,” Hagan said. “That is a ripple that has taken place in my family – almost every single woman in my family has the same story. And knowing that, I just never will make it more difficult for a woman to make a choice that’s right for her and her family, and I think it is a very nuanced issue that is often looked at that is very black and white, and I would love to have a conversation with anybody about that and why that’s the decision that I’ve come to and why I think that’s best for women across America.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
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