Ben Ray Luján ( ; born June 7, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the
junior United States senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
from
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
since 2021. He served as the
U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2021 and the assistant House
Democratic leader (officially the "Assistant Speaker") from 2019 to 2021. He served as a member of the
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from 2005 to 2008, where he also served as chairman.
Luján was selected as chairman of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds, and organizes races in ...
(DCCC) in 2014 and led the Democrats to win a House majority in the
2018 elections
The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world.
Africa
* 2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018
*2018 Sierra Leonean general elec ...
. He was the first Hispanic to serve in this role. In his role as assistant House Democratic leader, Luján was the highest-ranking
Latino in Congress.
On April 1, 2019, Luján announced his intention to seek the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
seat being vacated by two-term Democratic incumbent
Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator fro ...
in the
2020 election.
He defeated
Republican Mark Ronchetti in the general election on November 3, 2020, and took office on January 3, 2021.
Early life and education
Ben Ray Luján was born in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...
, as the last child of Carmen (Ray) and
Ben Luján; he has two older sisters and an older brother. He was raised in
Nambe, New Mexico. His father, Ben, went into politics in 1970, when he was elected to the County Commission. From 1975, he was a longtime member of the
New Mexico House of Representatives, serving as majority whip and Speaker of the House.
After graduating from
Pojoaque Valley High School
Pojoaque Valley High School is a public high school in unincorporated Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It is located on the Jacona Campus, which is outside of the Jacona census-designated place. - Compare to the zone map and to thJacona CDP map It se ...
, Ben Ray worked as a
blackjack
Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fam ...
dealer at a
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...
casino and a Northern New Mexico tribal casino. After his stint as a dealer, he attended the
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
and later received a
BBA
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...
degree from
New Mexico Highlands University.
Early career
Public Regulation Commission
Luján was elected to the
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission in November 2004. He represented PRC district 3 which encompasses northeastern, north central and central New Mexico. His served as chairman of the PRC in 2005, 2006 and 2007. His term on the PRC ended at the end of 2008.
He helped to increase the Renewable Portfolio Standard in New Mexico that requires utilities to use 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Luján also required utilities to diversify their renewable use to include solar, wind and biomass.
Luján joined regulators in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
to sign the Joint Action Framework on Climate Change to implement regional solutions to
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2008
In 2008, Luján ran to succeed
U.S. Representative Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator fro ...
in
New Mexico's 3rd congressional district. Udall gave up the seat to make what would be a successful bid for the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
. On June 3, 2008, Luján won the Democratic primary, defeating five other candidates. His closest competitor, developer Don Wiviott, received 26 percent to Luján's 42 percent.
Luján faced Republican Dan East and independent Carol Miller in the general election and won with 57% of the vote to East's 30% and Miller's 13%.
2010
Luján won reelection against Republican nominee Thomas E. Mullins with 56.99% of the vote.
2012
Luján won reelection against Republican nominee
Jefferson Byrd
Jefferson L. Byrd (born June 16, 1971) is an American politician from New Mexico. He is a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from the 2nd district, which covers Chaves, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Eddy, Guadalupe, Harding, Le ...
with 63.12% of the vote.
2014
Luján won reelection against Byrd again, with 61.52% of the vote.
2016
Luján won reelection against Republican nominee Michael H. Romero with 62.42% of the vote.
2018
Luján won reelection against Republican nominee Jerald Steve McFall with 63.4% of the vote.
Tenure
Luján has been a proponent of health care reform, including a
public option
The public health insurance option, also known as the public insurance option or the public option, is a proposal to create a government-run health insurance agency that would compete with other private health insurance companies within the United ...
. In October 2009, he gave a speech on the House floor calling for a public option to be included in the House health care bill.
In June 2009, Luján voted for an amendment that would require the
United States Secretary of Defense
The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...
to present a plan including a complete exit strategy for Afghanistan by the end of the year. The amendment did not pass.
[Lujan, Ben.]
Rep. Luján Urges Administration To Reject Troop Increase In Afghanistan
ress release September 25, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2016 via ''Project Vote Smart''; also available a
lujan.house.gov/press-releases
. In September 2009, Luján wrote a letter urging the Obama administration not to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan. In his letter, he drew on conversations he had with General
Stanley A. McChrystal and Afghan President
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
.
In 2011, Luján was a co-sponsor of Bill , the
Stop Online Piracy Act.
Energy policy
According to his campaign website, Luján has been active in environmental regulation.
He chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Green Economy and Renewable Energy Task Force.
Luján has initiated several pieces of legislation regarding renewable energy such as the SOLAR Act. He co-authored the Community College Energy Training Act of 2009. He also supports natural gas usage and the New Alternative Transportations to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2009.
Luján has high ratings from interest groups such as
Environment America and the
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...
.
Luján serves on the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force. He has introduced legislation to provide relief to communities and businesses impacted by PFAS/PFOA contamination in groundwater around Air Force bases in New Mexico and across the country.
In addition to supporting the Green New Deal, an economic stimulus package that aims to
address climate change and economic inequality, Luján has developed legislation to put the United States on a path to
net zero
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the " ...
carbon emission and address climate change.
Education policy
Luján has been supported by the
National Education Association. He supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
and student loan reform. He cosponsored the STEM Education Coordination Act in an effort to produce more scientists and innovators in the United States.
Luján has pressed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to bridge the digital divide to expand opportunities for rural communities. In 2018, he joined FCC Commissioner
Jessica Rosenworcel on a bus ride where students learned to code during their drive time.
Native American issues
Luján has supported increased funding for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
and
Indian Health Service.
He opposed the Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012 and was in favor of preserving sacred Native American ground. Luján worked to create legislation enabling tribes to directly request disaster assistance from the president. Luján's district contains 15 separate
Pueblo tribes as well as tribal lands of the
Jicarilla Apache
Jicarilla Apache (, Jicarilla language: Jicarilla Dindéi), one of several loosely organized autonomous bands of the Eastern Apache, refers to the members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation currently living in New Mexico and speaking a Southern Atha ...
Nation and
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwe ...
. In February 2009, Luján introduced a series of five water accessibility bills that, along with improving access to water for the many communities in the district, would also give federal funds to Indian tribes. Along with
Harry Teague (D-NM) and
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Luján sponsored an amendment to the House health care bill that would extend the current Indian Health Care system until 2025. Tribal governments were major donors to his 2012 reelection campaign.
Luján has worked with the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to protect the greater Chaco Canyon region from oil and gas drilling and
methane emissions. He participated in a Congressional Delegation visit to Chaco Canyon and Santa Fe, New Mexico, in May 2019, to study the effects of methane emissions on sacred sites.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Energy and Commerce
**
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
**
Subcommittee on Health
**
Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection
*
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
Caucus memberships
*
Congressional Arts Caucus
*
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
U.S. Senate
Elections
2020
On April 1, 2019, Luján announced he was running to succeed retiring Senator
Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator fro ...
in the
2020 election.
On June 2, 2020, Luján won the Democratic primary unopposed. He defeated Republican nominee Mark Ronchetti in the general election 51.7% to 45.6%.
Tenure
117th Congress (2021–present)
Luján was sworn into the Senate on January 3, 2021. He was accompanied by the outgoing Senator,
Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator fro ...
.
On January 6, 2021, he was participating in the certification of the
2021 United States Electoral College vote count
The count of the Electoral College ballots during a joint session of the 117th United States Congress, pursuant to the Electoral Count Act, on January 6–7, 2021, was the final step to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the ...
when Trump supporters
stormed the U.S. Capitol. He called the attack a "siege" and "a direct attack on our nation's democracy." In the wake of the attack, Luján said he would vote to convict Trump "for inciting an insurrection."
Energy
In February 2021, Luján was one of seven Democratic U.S. Senators to join Republicans in blocking a ban of
hydraulic fracturing
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fra ...
, commonly known as fracking.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry
**
Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
*
Committee on the Budget
*
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
**
Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband (Chair)
**
Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security
**
Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing
**
Subcommittee on Space and Science
*
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
**
Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
**
Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
*
Committee on Indian Affairs
The 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 19 ...
Personal life
Luján is a Catholic.
On January 27, 2022, Luján was hospitalized in Santa Fe after feeling fatigued and dizzy. He was found to have had a stroke affecting his
cerebellum
The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as or even larger. In humans, the cerebe ...
and was transferred to the
University of New Mexico Hospital for treatment, which included a
decompressive craniectomy. A statement from his office said that "he is expected to make a full recovery". Luján returned to work at the Senate on March 3 and stated by April 21 that he was 90% recovered.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
References
External links
Ben R. Lujánofficial U.S. Senate website
Ben R. Luján for U.S. Senate
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lujan, Ben Ray
1972 births
21st-century American politicians
American politicians of Mexican descent
Catholics from New Mexico
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico
Democratic Party United States senators from New Mexico
Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress
Living people
Ben R.
New Mexico Highlands University alumni
People from Nambé Pueblo, New Mexico
People from Santa Fe, New Mexico