The Republican candidate for Senate in North Carolina brought in a foreign policy and national security heavyweight , a week after his opponent Sen. Kay Hagan 's Armed Services Committee attendance record became a lightning rod in the contentious race . Sen. John McCain joined state House Speaker Thom Tillis on the campaign trail Thursday in an effort to boost the Republican nominee 's national security credo in a race where the fight against ISIS has become a top campaign issue . As both candidates criticized President Barack Obama 's strategy in Iraq , McCain praised Tillis an `` experienced , talented , proven leader , '' the Raleigh-based News & Observer reported . And McCain , who is also a member of the Armed Services Committee , gave weight to attacks against Hagan for missing more than half of all the committee 's public hearings in the last two years , as well as one classified briefing on ISIS and other national security threats with the Director of National Intelligence , which she missed for a fundraiser in New York . `` We hold hearings so that we can be better informed and when she does n't show up , obviously , it indicates that she 's not well-informed '' McCain said according to the Associated Press . `` These are very , very serious times , and Sen. Hagan was n't there . '' Hagan 's campaign has pushed back since Tillis and outside allies slammed Hagan in ads for missing the crucial briefing , asserting the Senator attended 98 % of the committee 's votes . Hagan 's camp has also fought back with an ad of its own , knocking Tillis for his own uninspiring attendance record in the state legislature , where he played hooky several times to fundraise for his campaign . Tillis beat back those accusations on a call with reporters last week saying , `` Quite honestly , if I had anything approaching the seriousness of the threat of ISIS , I would have canceled anything I was doing . '' McCain 's presence next to Tillis , this time at an event with a veterans ' group , also served to deflect criticism that the North Carolina Republican has offered few specifics for how he would confront the ISIS threat . McCain has been one of the most vocal critics of the Obama administration 's strategy for confronting ISIS , particularly the White House 's public claim that the U.S. will not put American boots on the ground -- and that it can still defeat ISIS .
Hagan joined ISIS in slamming McCain committee attendance record . Hagan 's Armed Services has become a campaign issue after the Tillis campaign attacked McCain 's hearing attendance .