Miss Alabama Mary Margaret McCord, Miss USA 2013 Runner-up PHOTOS & VIDEO
Mary Margaret McCord of Alabama came in second place at Sunday's Miss USA 2013 pageant in Las Vegas.
In the last moments of the contest, McCord and Miss Connecticut's Erin Brady were the last contestants standing. Brady came out with the title and McCord, a University of Alabama graduate student, will be asked to fill the role if Miss Connecticut is unable to fulfill her duties.
In the final questions of the night, McCord was asked whether or not she believed the government's tracking of phone records was an invasion of privacy or necessary.
"I would rather someone track my phone messages and feel safe wherever I go than feel like they're encroaching on my privacy," she answered.
Brady answered a question about her opinion on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold widespread DNA tests.
"If someone is being prosecuted and committed a crime, it should happen. There are so many crimes that if that's one step closer to stopping them, then we should be able to do so," she said.
The pageant broadcasted live on NBC and was hosted by singer Nick Jonas and Giuliana Rancic, co-anchor of E! News. Fifty-one beauty queens from all U.S. states and the District of Columbia competed at the Planet Hollywood Casino. The contest was trimmed to 15 contestants when the show started Sunday.The women were judged based on competitions and interviews done during the week before the telecast, then moved on to compete for the crown in three areas: swimsuit, evening gown and interview questions.
Katherine Webb, former Miss USA Alabama 2012, was in the crowd cheering on McCord.
"Alabama's killing it #missusa," she tweeted Sunday.
Miss USA 2013 will live in a New York apartment for one year and will travel the world raising awareness about breast cancer. Brady also wants to Helping children cope with the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.
"I grew up in a family influenced by that and I think it's really important to help the children of families that are suffering from those problems," she told The Associated Press.
