Tom Udall
Encyclopedia
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Udall (born May 18, 1948) is the junior United States Senator
from New Mexico
and a member of the Democratic Party
. He had represented as a member of the United States House of Representatives
since 1999. Udall was elected as the junior United States senator from New Mexico on November 4, 2008, defeating Congressman Steve Pearce
. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Jeff Bingaman
retires from the Senate
in January 2013.
. He attended Prescott College
, graduating with a pre-law degree in 1970. In 1975, he graduated from Cambridge University in England
with a Bachelor of Law degree. That fall, he enrolled in the University of New Mexico School of Law
and graduated with a Juris Doctor
in 1977. After graduating, Udall was Law Clerk to Chief Judge Oliver Seth
of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. His legal career then included appointments as Assistant US Attorney in the criminal division and Chief Counsel to the Department of Health and Environment. A partnership followed in the Miller Law Firm.
He is the son of Stewart Udall
, who was Secretary of the Interior
from 1961 to 1969, nephew of Arizona
Congressman Morris Udall, and first cousin of senior Colorado
U.S. Senator Mark Udall
, double second cousin of former Oregon
U.S. Senator Gordon Smith, and second cousin of Utah
U.S. Senator Mike Lee. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
.
From 1991 to 1999 he served as Attorney General of New Mexico.
he was reelected with 75 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Ron Dolin.
New Democrat Coalition
and the more liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus
. He was also a member of the United States House Peak Oil Caucus.
to replace Pete Domenici
, who was retiring. The only other Democrat in the race, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez
, dropped out in December, essentially handing the nomination to Udall. New Mexico's other two members of the House, 1st District Congresswoman Heather Wilson
and 2nd District Congressman Steve Pearce
, also gave up their seats to run in the Republican primary. Pearce won the Republican nomination, and lost to Udall in November 2008 elections. Democrat Ben R. Luján
went on to win Udall's House seat.
While Udall was running for senate in New Mexico, his younger first cousin, congressman Mark Udall
, ran for the Colorado Senate seat left open by the retirement of Wayne Allard
. Their double second cousin, incumbent Gordon Smith of Oregon
, also ran in a Senate election against Jeff Merkley. While Mark and Tom Udall are Democrats, Smith is a Republican.
Tom Udall won his Senate race with 61% of the vote.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He had represented as a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
since 1999. Udall was elected as the junior United States senator from New Mexico on November 4, 2008, defeating Congressman Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce
Stevan Edward "Steve" Pearce is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and was an Assistant Minority Whip.-Early life, education and career:...
. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Jeff Bingaman
Jeff Bingaman
Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman, Jr. , is the senior U.S. Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party...
retires from the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in January 2013.
Early life and family
Tom Udall's family can be traced to territorial New Mexico, and he was born in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. He attended Prescott College
Prescott College
Prescott College is a private liberal arts college in Prescott, Arizona, founded in 1966. It is a non-profit organization which has an undergraduate body of roughly 800 students, and an average student to faculty ratio of 7:1 in on-campus classrooms...
, graduating with a pre-law degree in 1970. In 1975, he graduated from Cambridge University in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a Bachelor of Law degree. That fall, he enrolled in the University of New Mexico School of Law
University of New Mexico School of Law
The University of New Mexico School of Law is the law school of the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque. It is the only law school in the state of New Mexico. Approximately 350 students attend the school, with approximately 115 enrolled in the first-year class...
and graduated with a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1977. After graduating, Udall was Law Clerk to Chief Judge Oliver Seth
Oliver Seth
Oliver Seth was a United States federal judge.Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Seth received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1937 and an LL.B. from Yale Law School in 1940. He was in private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1940. He was in the United States Army Major from 1940 to 1946...
of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. His legal career then included appointments as Assistant US Attorney in the criminal division and Chief Counsel to the Department of Health and Environment. A partnership followed in the Miller Law Firm.
He is the son of Stewart Udall
Stewart Udall
Stewart Lee Udall was an American politician. After serving three terms as a congressman from Arizona, he served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969, under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B...
, who was Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
from 1961 to 1969, nephew of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Congressman Morris Udall, and first cousin of senior Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
U.S. Senator Mark Udall
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the...
, double second cousin of former Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
U.S. Senator Gordon Smith, and second cousin of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
U.S. Senator Mike Lee. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Early political career
In 1982, Udall ran for Congress in the newly-created 3rd District, but lost the Democratic primary to Bill Richardson. He ran for Congress again in the 1st District for the seat left open by retiring 20-year incumbent Manuel Lujan, but narrowly lost to Bernalillo County District Attorney Steven SchiffSteven Schiff
Steven Harvey Schiff was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the first district of New Mexico from 1989 until his death in 1998. Schiff was a Republican.Schiff was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received a B.A...
.
From 1991 to 1999 he served as Attorney General of New Mexico.
Elections
Udall ran for Congress again in 1998 in the 3rd District against Bill Redmond, who had been elected in a 1997 special election to replace Richardson. Redmond was a conservative Republican representing a heavily Democratic district, and the 3rd's partisan tilt was enough for Udall to defeat Redmond with 53 percent of the vote to Redmond's 43 percent. Udall never faced another close contest, and was reelected four times, including a completely unopposed run in 2002. He won a fifth term in the 2006 midterm electionsUnited States House elections, 2006
- House of Representatives prior to the election :As of November 7, 2006, the U.S. House of the 109th Congress was composed of 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent . There were also four vacancies...
he was reelected with 75 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Ron Dolin.
Tenure
As a U.S. Representative, Tom Udall belonged to the centristCentrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
New Democrat Coalition
New Democrat Coalition
The New Democrat Coalition is a Congressional Member Organization within the United States Congress made up of Democrats who support an agenda that the organization describes as moderate and pro-growth. A July 2009 Press release described the organization as "the largest moderate coalition in the U.S...
and the more liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions....
. He was also a member of the United States House Peak Oil Caucus.
Committee assignments
- United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Legislative Branch
- Co-Vice Chair of the House Native American Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
(Co-Chair)
2008 election
In November 2007 he announced he would give up his congressional seat to run in the 2008 Senate election in New MexicoUnited States Senate election in New Mexico, 2008
The 2008 United States Senate election in New Mexico was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pete Domenici decided to retire instead of seeking a seventh term. All three of New Mexico's U.S. Representatives chose to retire from the U.S. House of Representatives in order to...
to replace Pete Domenici
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
, who was retiring. The only other Democrat in the race, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez
Martin Chavez
Martin Joseph Chávez Chávez is a former three-term mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico and New Mexico State Senator. He currently serves as the Executive Director of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA. and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Center for Green Schools at U.S. Green...
, dropped out in December, essentially handing the nomination to Udall. New Mexico's other two members of the House, 1st District Congresswoman Heather Wilson
Heather Wilson
Heather A. Wilson , is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing from 1998 to 2009...
and 2nd District Congressman Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce
Stevan Edward "Steve" Pearce is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and was an Assistant Minority Whip.-Early life, education and career:...
, also gave up their seats to run in the Republican primary. Pearce won the Republican nomination, and lost to Udall in November 2008 elections. Democrat Ben R. Luján
Ben R. Lujan
Ben Ray Luján is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Santa Fe, the state capital, and includes most of the northern portion of the state....
went on to win Udall's House seat.
While Udall was running for senate in New Mexico, his younger first cousin, congressman Mark Udall
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the...
, ran for the Colorado Senate seat left open by the retirement of Wayne Allard
Wayne Allard
Alan Wayne Allard is a member of the Republican Party, and was a United States Senator from Colorado. He did not seek re-election in 2008.-Early life:...
. Their double second cousin, incumbent Gordon Smith of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, also ran in a Senate election against Jeff Merkley. While Mark and Tom Udall are Democrats, Smith is a Republican.
Tom Udall won his Senate race with 61% of the vote.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
- Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
- Subcommittee on Science and Space
- Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
- Committee on Environment and Public WorksUnited States Senate Committee on Environment and Public WorksThe United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for dealing with matters related to the environment and infrastructure.-Members, 112th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on Children's HealthUnited States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Children's HealthThe U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Children's Health is one of seven subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.-Jurisdiction:According to the Committee's website:-Members, 111th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on OversightUnited States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on OversightThe U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Oversight is one of seven subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.-Jurisdiction:According to the Committee's website:-Members, 111th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on Water and WildlifeUnited States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water and WildlifeThe U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife is one of seven subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.-Jurisdiction:According to the Committee's website:-Members, 111th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on Children's Health
- Committee on Rules and AdministrationUnited States Senate Committee on Rules and AdministrationThe Senate Committee on Rules and Administration is responsible for the rules of the United States Senate, with administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate, including responsibility for dealing with contested elections.The committee...
- Committee on Indian AffairsUnited States Senate Committee on Indian AffairsThe Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1947, after which it was folded into the Committee on...
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in EuropeCommission on Security and Cooperation in EuropeThe Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe , also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent U.S. Government agency created by Congress in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE commitments. It was established in 1976 pursuant to...
- International Narcotics Control CaucusInternational Narcotics Control CaucusThe United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control was created to monitor and encourage the U.S...
- Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.Thomas PorteousGabriel Thomas Porteous, Jr. is a former United States federal judge who served for sixteen years before being impeached and removed from office in December 2010.-Background:...
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus
- House Native American Caucus (Co-Vice Chair)
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
(Co-Chair) - Rural Caucus
- Sportsmen's Caucus
External links
- Senator Tom Udall official U.S. Senate site
- Udall For Us All official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...