Gone are the ubiquitous television commercials. Ditto the signs alongside the road as well as the blasts of political

Whether you found these abrupt advertising tactics to be informative or annoying, the 2014 election has come to a close, and North Carolina has made history, especially in the race involving incumbent U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan and challenger Thom Tillis.

Tillis was elected as the new senator for North Carolina.

“My name is Thom Tillis, and I’m the next United States Senator from the state of North Carolina,” Tillis said at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday after the announcement of his election.

Tillis’  election helped swing control of the U. S. Senate to the Republican Party.

“I think the 2014 senate campaign was very interesting because of how much national coverage it received,” John Hodges, junior, said.

Those politically charged messages blasting through your radio, TV, and headphones pushed North Carolina into the spotlight for hosting the most expensive senatorial election in the history of the United States.  Combined, the candidates spent more than $100 million.

The election drew the eyes and ears of the nation to focus on North Carolina, and as the hundreds of thousands of voters flocked to polls on Tuesday, November 4, tensions grew high.

“I am a strong supporter of Kay Hagan, and think she has been a good senator. I also think Thom Tillis will be terrible for North Carolina. As speaker of the house, he has hurt public education, restricted women’s rights, passed unconstitutional voter ID laws, and tried to bock marriage equality. I think that these policies are not in the best interests of North Carolinians. I campaigned for Kay Hagan, and my family took an active role in her re-election campaign,” Hodges said.

Broughton was the site of a voting rally for Sen. on Friday, October 31.  Former President William Clinton spoke on her behalf.