Jeff Bingaman
Official portrait, 2008
Chair of theSenate Energy Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Pete Domenici
Succeeded by	Ron Wyden
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Frank Murkowski
Succeeded by	Pete Domenici
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001
Preceded by	Frank Murkowski
Succeeded by	Frank Murkowski
United States Senator fromNew Mexico
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Harrison Schmitt
Succeeded by	Martin Heinrich
25thAttorney General of New Mexico
In office January 1, 1979 – January 1, 1983
Governor	Bruce King
Preceded by	Toney Anaya
Succeeded by	Paul Bardacke
Personal details
Born	Jesse Francis Bingaman Jr. (1943-10-03)October 3, 1943 (age 82) El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Anne Kovacovich
Children	1 son
Education	Harvard University (BA) Stanford University (JD)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1968–1974
Unit	United States Army Reserve
Bingaman's voice Bingaman on the partial shutdown of theFederal Aviation Administration. Recorded July 28, 2011

Jesse Francis "Jeff"Bingaman Jr. (born October 3, 1943) is an American retired politician who served as aUnited States Senator fromNew Mexico from 1983 to 2013. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously served as the 25thAttorney General of New Mexico from 1979 to 1983. During his time in the Senate, Bingaman served asChairman of Committee Outreach for theSenate Democratic Caucus and was the longtime chair of theSenate Energy Committee.

Bingaman worked on Congressional committees on Armed Services; Energy and Natural Resources (Chairman); Finance; Health, Education Labor & Pensions; Joint Economic Committee; among others. He advocated environmental issues such as for clean energy policies and protection of wildlife and public lands. Bingaman took positions favoring immigration reform with increased border enforcement coupled with a guest worker program.

After he left the Senate, he returned to his alma materStanford Law School as a fellow of its Steyer–Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance.^[1]

Bingaman was born inEl Paso, Texas, the son of Frances Bethia (née Ball) and Jesse Francis Bingaman.^[2] He grew up inSilver City, New Mexico. His father taught atWestern New Mexico University and his mother taught in the public schools system. At age 15, he earned the rank ofEagle Scout.^[3]

After graduating fromSilver High School in 1961, Bingaman went on to earn aBachelor of Arts degree ingovernment fromHarvard University in 1965. He then enteredStanford Law School, graduating with aJuris Doctor in 1968.

After his admission to the bar, Bingaman commenced work as a private practice attorney alongside his wife. He also served as counsel to the New Mexico Constitutional Convention of 1969. From 1968 to 1974, Bingaman was a member of theU.S. Army Reserve. He attended basic training atFort Dix, New Jersey, as aprivate and graduated from the chaplain enlisted assistant technician course at theArmy Chaplain School,Fort Hamilton, New Jersey in April 1969.^[4][5]

Bingaman worked briefly in the state attorney general's office. He then ran for the leadership position of this office in 1978 and was elected.Environmental andantitrust issues were some of his biggest concerns while in this position.

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
  • Subcommittee on Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Chairman)
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
  • Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
• Joint Economic Committee

• Congressional Competitiveness Caucus (Co-Chair)
• International Conservation Caucus
• Senate Diabetes Caucus

Limited to seek other statewide office by the state constitution, Bingaman announced on January 14, 1981, his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, the first to do so.^[6] In 1982, Bingaman was elected to the Senate, defeating one-term Republican incumbentHarrison Schmitt. Bingaman accused Schmitt of not paying enough attention to local matters; his campaign slogan was "What on Earth has he done for you lately?"—a jab at Schmitt's previous service as an astronaut who had walked on the Moon.^[7] He was reelected four times.

Bingaman was Chairman of theEnergy and Natural Resources Committee and a member of theFinance Committee;Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; andJoint Committee on the Economy.

Generally, Bingaman kept a fairly low national profile, even though he was the ninth most senior member of the Senate at the time of his retirement. He was very popular in New Mexico, facing substantive opposition only once, in 1994.

Bingaman and his Senate colleaguePete Domenici were the longest-serving duo among senators in the110th United States Congress (2007–2009). In second place wereTed Kennedy andJohn Kerry ofMassachusetts. Due to serving alongside Domenici, the longest-serving Senator in New Mexico's history, Bingaman spent 26 years as New Mexico's junior Senator, though ironically he had more seniority than all but a few of his colleagues. He was the most-senior junior senator in the 110th United States Congress.

On April 28, 2008, Bingaman endorsed SenatorBarack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

On February 18, 2011, Bingaman announced that he would not seek reelection in2012.^[8][9] He formally retired on January 3, 2013, ending the second-longest Senate tenure in the state's history, behind only Domenici.

In his 2022 book "Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis", Bingaman discusses the erosion of congressional norms, outlines five governing obstacles for Congress members, evaluates their impact on eight major legislative actions during his term, and suggests improvements for Congress.^[10]

Being from a border state withMexico, Bingaman was highly involved in the debate overillegal immigration. He believed in increased enforcement of borders to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, including more patrol agents and the use of surveillance cameras. However, he also believed that the U.S. should enact a guest worker program so that immigrants looking for honest work could arrive legally.^[11] Bingaman voted against theSecure Fence Act in 2006.^[12] He also voted against declaring English to be the official language of the U.S. government and voted in favor of continuing federal funds to self-declared "sanctuary cities".^[12]

Throughout his political career, Bingaman had a pro-environmental record. He worked consistently to protect wildlife and public lands. He spoke publicly about the necessity of theClean Energy Act of 2007, citing the importance of developingclean technology and green jobs. He stated his support for the bill's principle of eliminating tax breaks on gas and oil companies.^[13]

Starting in 2006, Bingaman worked unsuccessfully to pass a bill that would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions via a "cap and trade" system. He stated his hope of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2030. His bill would also have increased federal funding for research and development of green technologies.^[14]

Bingaman voted in line with the majority of his party onabortion, and he received a 100% rating from the pro-choiceNARAL. He supported reinstating thefairness doctrine.^[15] Even though he voted for theDefense of Marriage Act in 1996, he voted against a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, and was ranked favorably by gay rights groups (such as 89% from theHuman Rights Campaign). He also voted twice against a proposed amendment to ban flag desecration, and supported affirmative action.^[16]

On October 11, 2002, Jeff Bingaman was among 23 senators who voted against authorizing theIraq War.^[17]

Bingaman had a generally pro-rehabilitation stance on crime, supporting more programs to prevent youth crime, lower high school dropout rates, and stop drug use. Bingaman was an outspoken critic of theGuantanamo Bay detention camp. He cited the need for due process of law for detainees by saying:

The current practice of holding detainees or prisoners indefinitely, without affording them basic due process rights, has been widely criticized in this country and throughout the world. For a country such as ours that has consistently advocated for the rule of law, the policies of the current administration are nothing short of a major embarrassment ... How we handle prisoners can have a dramatic impact on how our own men and women are treated in the event they are themselves taken prisoner.^[18]

Bingaman supported PresidentBarack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for theAffordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) in December 2009,^[19] and he voted for theHealth Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.^[20]

Bingaman met his wifeAnne Kovacovich when both were attending Stanford Law School. They have one son, John, who served as the chief of staff forNew Mexico GovernorMichelle Lujan Grisham (2019–2020).^[21]

On December 13, 2008, Bingaman was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Letters degree fromNew Mexico State University at the university's Fall 2008 commencement ceremony.

He received theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award from theBoy Scouts of America.^[22]

• United States Senator Jeff Bingamanofficial U.S. Senate website

• Biography at theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at theFederal Election Commission
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• 1943 births
• 20th-century United States senators
• 21st-century United States senators
• American United Methodists
• Democratic Party United States senators from New Mexico
• Harvard University alumni
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• New Mexico attorneys general
• New Mexico Democrats
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• People from Silver City, New Mexico
• Politicians from El Paso, Texas
• Stanford Law School alumni
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