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Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman Jr. (born October 3, 1943) is the junior U.S. Senator from New Mexico. He has been in the Senate since 1983 and is a member of the Democratic Party. Bingaman was Attorney General of New Mexico from 1978 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1982, when he defeated Republican incumbent and former astronaut Harrison Schmitt. He was re-elected in 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2006. After 25 years spend as a Junior Senator, Bingaman will become New Mexico Senior Senator, as Pete Domenici decided to not seek re-election in 2008.
[edit] Early life and careerBingaman was born in El Paso, Texas to Frances Bethia Ball and Jesse Francis Bingaman.[1] He grew up in Silver City, New Mexico. His father taught at Western New Mexico University and his mother taught in the public schools system. At age 15, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from Silver City High School, Bingaman went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard University in 1965. He then entered Stanford Law School, graduating in 1968. Bingaman is married to Anne Kovacovich Bingaman; they have one child. He met his wife while attending law classes. After his admission to the bar, Bingaman commenced work as a private practice attorney alongside his wife. He also served as counsel to the the New Mexico Constitutional Convention of 1969. From 1968 to 1974, Bingaman was a member of the US Army Reserve. [edit] New Mexico Attorney GeneralIn 1969, Bingaman had worked briefly in the state attorney general's office. He ran for the leadership position of this office in 1978 and was elected. Environmental and antitrust issues were some of his biggest concerns while in this position. [edit] SenateIn 1982, Bingaman unseated one seat incumbent Harrison Schmidt to win his first term in the Senate. Bingaman's campaign focused on the need for New Mexico to elected a Democrat to break its recession, and he also accused Schmidt of ignoring local issues. Bingaman is Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a member of the Finance Committee; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; and Joint Committee on the Economy. Bingaman and his senate colleague Pete Domenici are the longest-serving duo among current Senators, and Bingaman is the most senior junior senator in the current Senate. The next longest are Edward Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts. On April 28, 2008, Jeff Bingaman endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Race. [edit] Issue positions[edit] ImmigrationBeing from a border state, Bingaman has been much involved in the debate over illegal immigration. He believes in increased enforcement of borders to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, including more patrol agents and the use of surveillence cameras. However, he also believes that the U.S. should enact a guest worker program so that immigrants loooking for honest work can arrive legaly[1]. [edit] Energy and the environmentThroughout his political career, Bingaman has garnished a pro-environmental record. He has worked consistantly to protect wildlife and public lands. He spoke publicly about the necessity of the Clean Energy Act of 2007, citing the importance of developing clean technology and green jobs. He stated his support for the bill's principle of eliminating tax breaks on gas and oil companys.[2] Since 2006, Bingaman has been working on a bill that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions via a "cap and trade" system." He has stated that he would like to see his plan implemented so that emissions would be reduced to 1990 levels by 2030. His bill would also increase levels of federal funding for research and development of green technologies.[3] [edit] Abortion and civil rightsBingaman has voted in line with the liberal wing of his party on abortion, and he has received a 100% rating from from the pro-choice NARAL. Although he voted in 1996 for the Defense of Marriage Act, he voted against a propsed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, and has been ranked favorablly by gay rights groups (89% from the HRC). He has also voted twice against a propsed amendment to ban flag dececration and has supported affirmative action[2]. [edit] Crime and tortureBingaman has a generally pro-rehabilitation stance on crime, supporting more programs to prevent youth crime, lower high school dropout rates, and stop drug use. Bingaman has been an outspoken critic of the US prison at Guantanamo Bay. He cites the need for due process of law for detainees by saying:
[edit] 2006 reelection campaignBingaman faced no opposition in the June 6, 2006 primary. The Republican primary was won by Allen McCulloch, a urologist and former chemical engineer. Bingaman won a landslide re-election, defeating his opponent by a 41.3 point margin. [edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Electoral history
[edit] Footnotes[edit] External links
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