Thomas Stewart Udall (born May 18, 1948) is the senior United States Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 2008, he represented New Mexico's 3rd congressional district as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, and was the Attorney General of New Mexico from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Udall family, he is the son of Stewart Udall, the nephew of Mo Udall, and the cousin of Mark Udall. He is the current dean of New Mexico's Congressional Delegation.
Video Tom Udall
Early life, education, and law career
Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona, to Ermalee Lenora (née Webb) and Stewart Udall, the Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969. Two of his maternal great-grandparents were Swiss. He attended Prescott College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. In 1975, he graduated from Downing College, Cambridge in England with a Bachelor of Laws degree. That fall, he enrolled in the University of New Mexico School of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1977. Udall then served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Oliver Seth of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. His subsequent legal career included appointments as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the criminal division and Chief Counsel to the New Mexico Department of Health and Environment.
Maps Tom Udall
Early political career
In 1982, Udall ran for Congress in the newly created 3rd district, based in the state capital, Santa Fe, and most of north of the state. He lost the Democratic primary to Bill Richardson. In 1988, he ran for Congress again, this time in an election for the Albuquerque-based 1st district seat left open by retiring twenty-year incumbent Manuel Lujan, but narrowly lost to Bernalillo County District Attorney Steven Schiff. From 1990 to 1999 he served as Attorney General of New Mexico.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Udall ran for Congress again in 1998 in the 3rd district against incumbent 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 helped Udall defeat Redmond with 53 percent of the vote. He was reelected four more times with no substantive opposition, including an unopposed run in 2002.
Tenure
As a U.S. Representative, Tom Udall was a member of both the centrist New Democrat Coalition and the more liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus. He was a member of the United States House Peak oil Caucus, which he co-founded with Representative Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland.
Committee assignments
Udall sat on the United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations in the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and the Subcommittee on Legislative Branch He was the Co-Vice Chair of the House Native American Caucus and Co-Chair of the International Conservation Caucus.
U.S. Senate
Elections
In November 2007, Udall announced he would run for the Senate seat held by retiring six-term incumbent Republican Pete Domenici. Potential Democratic rival Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez dropped out, handing Udall the nomination. New Mexico's other two members of the House, 1st and 3rd district's Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, ran in the Republican primary. Pearce won the Republican nomination, and lost to Udall, who won 61 percent of the vote.
While Udall ran for Senate in New Mexico, his younger first cousin, Congressman Mark Udall, ran for the Senate in Colorado. Their double second cousin, incumbent Gordon Smith of Oregon, also ran for reelection. Both Udalls won and Smith lost.
Tenure
Udall has voted with his party 97 percent of the time since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate. He voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, DREAM Act, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
Udall was one of the first members of Congress to publicly express concern about the possibility of NSA overreach, a year before Edward Snowden's 2013 disclosure of the PRISM program.
Legislation
On March 19, 2013, Udall introduced into the Senate the Sandia Pueblo Settlement Technical Amendment Act (S. 611; 113th Congress), a bill that would transfer some land to the Sandia Pueblo tribe. Also during the 113th Congress, Udall introduced a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would allow limits on outside spending in support of political candidates. The Amendment won the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 10-8 vote in July 2014.
In March 2015 Udall sponsored Senate bill 697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a bill to amend and reauthorize the Toxic Substances Control Act. The legislation, as amended, was signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 22, 2016. It updates the nation's safety system for thousands of chemicals in products like cleaners, paints, carpets and furniture. The bill initially faced criticism over the balance between federal and state authority to regulate chemicals, but after changes to the legislation it earned broader support, including from liberal members of the Senate and the President. It passed by a vote of 403-12 in the House and voice vote in the Senate.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Subcommittee on African Affairs
- Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
- Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection, and Peace Corps
- Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere and Global Narcotics Affairs
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Indian Affairs
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
- International Narcotics Control Caucus
- Caucus memberships
- Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus
- House Native American Caucus (Co-Vice Chair)
- International Conservation Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Rural Caucus
- Sportsmen's Caucus
Political positions
Gun law
Udall has a "C-" rating from the National Rifle Association and a "F" rating from the Gun Owners of America for his support of gun control.
In 2013 he voted for state-by-state reciprocity of concealed carry and for the names of gun owners to be protected and released only in select situations.
In 2016, within weeks of the Orlando nightclub shooting, Udall participated in a sit-in at the House to demand votes on gun control legislation, saying, "We owe it to the LGBT community & all families harmed by gun violence to keep terror suspects fr[om] obtaining guns."
Electoral history
1990
2008
2014
Personal life
Udall is married to Jill Cooper Udall. They live in Santa Fe with their daughter, Amanda Cooper. Tom Udall is the son of former Arizona Congressman and Interior Secretary Stewart Lee Udall, nephew of Arizona Congressman Morris Udall, and first cousin of former 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.
See also
- Udall family (political family)
- Lee-Hamblin family
References
Further reading
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
External links
- Senator Tom Udall official U.S. Senate site
- Tom Udall for U.S. Senate
- Tom Udall at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Source of article : Wikipedia
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