Former U.S. Senator Kay Hagan is in intensive care, brother says

FILE - IN this Nov. 4, 2014 file photo, Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., gives her concession speech during an election night rally in Greensboro, N.C. Hagan, has been hospitalized after falling seriously ill, according to Joe Ruthven, her brother. (The Associated Press)

LAKELAND, Fla. – Former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat who represented North Carolina, has been hospitalized after falling seriously ill, her family said.

Hagan's brother told The Lakeland Ledger in Florida Hagan was rushed to a Washington, D.C., hospital Thursday and was being treated in an intensive care unit.

Joe Ruthven of Lakeland said Hagan didn't have a heart attack and isn't in a coma. He wouldn't give any further details.

Hagan, 63, was elected in 2008 and served one term before she was defeated by Republican Thom Tillis. A spokeswoman said she formerly lived in Lakeland but currently resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Hagan family said in a statement released to The Associated Press that "Kay is receiving the best possible medical care." It didn't give further details and asked for privacy.

Tillis sent a statement on his Twitter account wishing for Hagan "a speedy recovery back to good health."