Mark Udall | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2009 | |
| United States Senator fromColorado | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Wayne Allard |
| Succeeded by | Cory Gardner |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromColorado's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | David Skaggs |
| Succeeded by | Jared Polis |
| Member of theColorado House of Representatives from the13th district | |
| In office January 1997 – January 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Peggy Lamm |
| Succeeded by | Tom Plant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Emery Udall (1950-07-18)July 18, 1950 (age 75) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | SeeUdall family |
| Education | Williams College (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Udall questioningThomas Tidwell, chief of theU.S. Forest Service, at a hearing of theSenate Energy Committee. Recorded February 6, 2014 | |
Mark Emery Udall (/ˈjudɔːl/YOO-dawl; born July 18, 1950) is an American politician who served as aUnited States Senator fromColorado from 2009 to 2015. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously served in theUnited States House of Representatives, representingColorado's 2nd congressional district. Before being elected toCongress, he represented parts ofBoulder, Colorado, in theColorado House of Representatives.
Throughout his career, he has proposed legislation to supportrenewable energy, expandnational parks, and protectnatural resources. Born inTucson, Arizona, he is the son of former U.S. RepresentativeMo Udall and the nephew of former U.S. RepresentativeStewart Udall. A member of theUdall family, awesternAmerican political family, his relatives includeNew Mexico'sTom Udall andUtah'sMike Lee. Udall ran for reelection in2014 to a second term in the U.S. Senate, but was narrowly defeated by Republican challengerCory Gardner.
Mark Udall was born inTucson, Arizona,[1][2] to Patricia J. (née Emery) andMorris "Mo" Udall, theU.S. representative forArizona's 2nd congressional district from 1961 to 1991, and candidate for the1976 Democratic nomination for President. Udall attended and graduated fromCanyon del Oro High School in 1968, where he was elected student body president.[3] Udall won the Arizona State Golf Championship Boy's division in 1968.[4]
Udall later graduated fromWilliams College in 1972 with aBachelor of Arts inAmerican civilization.[3] In 1976 Udall worked as a field coordinator for his father's campaign to win theDemocratic nomination againstJimmy Carter.[5]
After college, Udall moved to Colorado and began his career withOutward Bound, anon-profitoutdoor education organization.[6][7] For ten years Udall worked as a course instructor, in which he would bring patrons on outdoor expeditions. During his career in Outdoor Adventure Education he also was an instructor at DoDDS's Project Bold, located at the Hinterbrand Lodge inBerchtesgaden,Germany. Afterward, Udall served as Outward Bound's Executive Director for ten years, after which Udall decided to retire, completing his twenty-year career with Outward Bound.[8]
In 1996, Udall was encouraged to run for theColorado House of Representatives byPeggy Lamm of the 13th district, who had decided to retire.[9] After running agrassroots campaign in the swing district, Udall narrowly defeatedRepublican Drew Bolin to represent theLongmont andBoulder district.[10] During his two years in office, Udall served on the Judiciary and Agriculture Livestock & Natural Resources Committees.[11]
While in the Colorado House, Udall proposed legislation titled "Renewable Electricity Standard." It would have required at least 10% of energy consumed in Colorado to be provided by renewable sources rather thanfossil fuels. The bill died in committee.[9] Udall chose not to run for re-election, instead decided to run for theUnited States Congress. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat, Tom Plant.[10]
After one term in the Colorado House of Representatives, Udall opted to run forColorado's 2nd congressional district, which was being vacated by incumbentDavid Skaggs. In the primary, Udall had four opponents:Gene Nichol,Paul Weissmann, and Dave Thomas. He won with 44% of the vote, defeating his closest opponent Nichol by 7 percentage points.[12] He faced the Republican nominee,Boulder, Colorado MayorBob Greenlee in the general election. The race was unexpectedly close, with Udall narrowly winning, 49% to 47%. Udall was consecutively elected to five terms in the House, without major opposition. He was eventually succeeded byJared Polis, after he decided to run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring RepublicanWayne Allard.[13]
In 2004, Udall announced his candidacy for the Senate seat which was being vacated byBen Nighthorse Campbell. However, the following day,Colorado Attorney GeneralKen Salazar announced his candidacy as well. Udall bowed out of the race and endorsed Salazar.[14]
On January 15, 2007, incumbent SenatorWayne Allard announced he would not run for a third term.[15] In April 2007, Udall announced his campaign for the Senate.[16] Udall became the Democratic nominee for the race after running unopposed in the primary.[17] In the general election, Udall faced formerU.S. Representative RepublicanBob Schaffer. By August 28, 2008, over $10 million had been spent on attack ads against Udall by political parties andpolitical action committees, an amount higher than in any other Senate race that year.[18]
The race was especially competitive, with Democrats wanting to expand their majority as much as possible due to that year's presidential election.[19] While bothCQ Politics[20] andThe Rothenberg Political Report[21] estimated Udall would win, andThe Cook Political Report considered it a 'Toss Up,'[22] Udall maintained a steady lead in the polls, but with neither candidate usually topping 50%.[18] Udall described the race as "the toughest climb I've ever taken."[19] On November 4, Udall won the election by 240,265 votes.
On January 7, 2013, Udall announced he was running for re-election.[23] Udall was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican U.S. RepresentativeCory Gardner in the general election. Although Udall was heavily favored in early polls, around September, Gardner gained and held a steady lead thereafter.[24]
Udall's re-election campaign focused onreproductive andwomen's rights. Throughout, Udall attacked Gardner for his former support of afetal personhood initiative, and claimed in ads that Gardner "championed an eight-year crusade to outlaw birth control here in Colorado."PolitiFact.com rated his claim "half-true," saying that it "leaves out important details."[25][26] OnMSNBC'sThe Last Word,Alex Wagner attributed Udall's trailing poll numbers to his "focus on reproductive rights."[27] Due to his campaign's emphasis on these issues, Udall was ridiculed as "Mark Uterus."[28] In an October 2014Denver Post endorsement of his opponent, the editorial board stated that "Udall's campaign has devoted a shocking amount of energy and money trying to convince voters that Gardner seeks to outlaw birth control despite the congressman's call for over-the-counter sales of contraceptives. Udall is trying to frighten voters rather than inspire them with a hopeful vision."[29]
Towards the end of his campaign, Udall was accompanied bySecond Lady of the United StatesJill Biden,Massachusetts SenatorElizabeth Warren, and formerSecretary of StateHillary Clinton.[30] In July 2014, PresidentBarack Obama headlined a fundraiser for Udall's campaign.[31] Udall lost the election.
Less than one month after Udall took office in the Senate, newly electedPresident Obama nominated senior Colorado SenatorKen Salazar to serve as hisSecretary of the Interior. After his confirmation, Udall became the Senate's most junior senior Senator.[32]
TheNational Right to Life Committee (NRLC) gave Udall a 0% rating forabortion rights,[33] while his opponent in 2014, Cory Gardner, received a 100% rating.[34]
In February 2014, Udall voted for theFederal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, a $1 trillion bill that ended direct payments to farmers but expanded ]crop insurance by $7 billion over the next decade, created new subsidies forrice andpeanut growers that will kick in if or when prices drop, and cutfood stamp subsidies for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[35][36]
In 2011, Udall and SenatorSusan Collins successfully introduced an amendment to the Senate's agriculture appropriations bill. The amendment to the appropriations bill removed a limit placed onpotatoes in theDepartment of Agriculture's new school nutrition guidelines.[37]
Udall is a member of the ReFormers Caucus ofIssue One,[38] a bipartisan organization dedicated to reducing the influence of money in politics.
Although Senator to the first state to legalize the recreational sale ofmarijuana, Udall took no official stance onColorado Amendment 64 during its campaign.[39] After Amendment 64 andWashington state's similar initiative passed in 2012, Udall and the Senate delegations fromWashington addressed a letter toAttorney GeneralEric Holder andWhite House Chief of StaffDenis McDonough, imploring them to "let this experiment unfold," as Udall characterized it.[40]
Udall has opposed theNational Security Agency's (NSA)mass surveillance programs.[41] Following the revelation of the NSA'smass surveillance of Americans, Udall has been an advocate for reform.[42][43] Udall, along with SenatorsRon Wyden andRand Paul, published anOp-ed in theLos Angeles Times expressing their collective desire to "end thedragnet — and to affirm that we can keep our nation secure without trampling on and abandoning Americans' constitutional rights."[44] Udall expressed his support forEdward Snowden to return to America to "make his case."[45] After reports that theCentral Intelligence Agency improperly spied on U.S. Senators, Udall called for the resignation ofAgency DirectorJohn O. Brennan.[46]
After theSeptember 11 attacks, the one-term Representative Udall was one of 66 House members to vote against thePatriot Act.[3] In 2011, Udall voted against reauthorizing the Patriot Act.[47] In July 2014, Udall voted against theCISPA bill, a proposed law that would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies, voicing his concerns that it "lacks adequate protections for the privacy rights."[48]
During the 2011 debate over theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA), Udall introduced an amendment to end the practice of military detention ofAmerican citizens indefinitely and without trial. In response to the amendment's introduction, theBarack Obama administration threatened toveto the bill.[49] The amendment was rejected by a vote of 60–38 (with 2 abstaining).[50] Udall subsequently voted for the Act in thejoint session of Congress that passed it, and though he remained "extremely troubled" by the detainee provisions, he promised to "push Congress to conduct the maximum amount of oversight possible."[51]
Udall has supportedPRISM, a clandestine anti-terrorism mass electronic surveillance data mining program launched in 2007 by the National Security Agency (NSA); however, he has also expressed support for introduction of measures to reform and limit the scope of thePatriot Act; 'The Patriot Act should be reformed so Americans' phone records do not get indiscriminately swept up in a federal government database.'[52]
Udall voted for theEmployee Free Choice Act in 2007, which would have eliminated secret ballot in voting tounionize businesses, and said that he supported the measure because theNational Labor Relations Board would be the best forum to deal with concerns raised by the bill's opponents.[53]
On February 10, 2009, Udall voted to pass theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Udall was part of a bipartisan group of 20 senators who negotiated an agreement to set the stimulus bill size to around $600 billion and include $70 billion for thealternative minimum tax.[54][55]
In December 2010, Udall was one of seven Democrats to have voted against a deal to extend theBush tax cuts for two years as well as fund unemployment benefits for an additional 13 months, having stated, "Days after the most substantive national conversation we've had about addressing the debt, the debate suddenly has turned to extending tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires that — alone — will cost $700 billion over the next decade."[56]
Udall has supported tax breaks forrenewable energy and the expansion ofnational parks. Udall has a lifetime rating of 97% from theLeague of Conservation Voters.[57][58][59][60]
In 2004, Udall helped lead a statewide ballot initiative (Amendment 37) to adopt the Renewable Electricity Standard, a standard he originally introduced in theColorado House of Representatives. Working with the Republican Colorado House Speaker, the measure mandating 10% of energy consumed be from renewable sources, passed by a close margin 52% to 48%.[61][62][63]
Throughout his career Udall has introduced the "Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act," which was passed in 2011. The act allowsski resorts to offer activities in thesummer.[3][64] In 2009, Udall introduced legislation to address the environmental damage caused by thepine beetle infestation in Colorado's forests, in what Udall described as one of the "biggest natural disasters."[65]
In July 2014, Udall came out in opposition of two Colorado ballot initiative that would have limitedhydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," and created an "Environmental Bill of Rights." While his opposition to the initiative aligned himColorado GovernorJohn Hickenlooper, it put him at odds with the main proponent of the bills and his House district successor,Jared Polis.[66] Udall has repeatedly voted against theKeystone XL pipeline, having said that he wants to wait until a technical review of the project by theState Department is complete.[67]
One week after theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Colorado Senators Udall andMichael Bennet came out in support of aFederal Assault Weapons Ban.[68] On the issue, Udall commented "if we can save one child in the future from being killed in such a way, I'm ready to push those kinds of policies."[69] On April 17, 2013, Udall supported a failed amendment to expand background checks for gun purchases.[70]
In 2009, Udall upsetgun control advocates for supporting an amendment that would have allowedconcealed weapons to be transported across state lines.[3][71] TheNational Rifle Association (NRA) gave Udall an "F" grade during his time in the House of Representatives. While during his tenure in the Senate, the NRA gave him a "C" grade.[72][73]
In 2023, Udall said if “in a time machine and going back” he would bring a grim message to himself: “This is going to get worse and worse. More and more people are going to be deeply affected by this.” He would vote for the ban and “take the political heat.”[74]
In December 2009, Udall voted for theAffordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare).[75][76] Udall has also stated his support for apublic option about which he stated, "[t]he reason I support a public option, if it's done in a fiscally responsible way, is it would create competition. Competition drives down cost and what we want to do is make insurance affordable for all Americans."[77]
In November 2013, Udall was critical of the Colorado Division of Insurance concerning the Division's estimates of the number of Colorado residents whose medical insurance was cancelled in response to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.[78][79] Udall's office wanted the Division to lower the number from 250,000 because it believed the majority of individuals counted had received renewal options. The Division refused to change the numbers. Administrators at the Colorado Division of Insurance said they felt pressured by members of Udall's staff to change their estimates of policy cancellations.[80] A panel which investigated the matter concluded Udall's office behaved appropriately, however the investigation was criticized because the chair was appointed by Democratic governor John Hickenlooper; all other members of the panel were selected by the chair, who refused to name the other members of the panel, and left no written records of its investigation.[79]
Udall is married to Maggie Fox, an environmental lawyer who previously served asCEO ofThe Climate Reality Project.[13] The two met while working atOutward Bound, and were married in 1982.[9][81] They have two children, Jedediah and Tess.[3][8][82] A golfer, Udall was ranked the 11th best golfer in Congress byGolf Digest in 2011.[83]
Udall has said "there isn't a Coloradan out there who doesn't cycle, hunt, hike... We're an outdoor state. It fits our worldview, and it's how we define ourselves."[7] An experiencedmountaineer, Udall has climbed many peaks during his work as an Outward Bound instructor, and in his personal life. Udall has climbed Colorado's 100 tallest peaks, known as "The Colorado Centennials," as well asKangchenjunga in theHimalayas andAconcagua, the highest peak inSouth America. He has also attemptedMount Everest multiple times.[3][7][84][85]
In 1986, Udall and his wife went on a group trek ofMount Garmo. During the climb, Maggie broke her leg, and their fellow climber, Steve Monfredo, died on the mountainside.[86] Udall's 61-year-old brother, Randy Udall, went missing on June 26, 2013, after going on a solo hike inWyoming'sWind River Range.[87] On July 3, 2013, a body, later identified as that of Randy Udall, was found approximately 80 miles southeast ofGrand Teton National Park.[88]
| Year | Office | District | Democrat | Republican | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Colorado House of Representatives | 13th district | Mark Udall | 50% | Drew Bolin | 45% |
| 1998[89] | United States House of Representatives | Colorado's 2nd District | Mark Udall | 49% | Bob Greenlee | 47% |
| 2000[90] | United States House of Representatives | Colorado's 2nd district | Mark Udall | 55% | Carolyn Cox | 38% |
| 2002[91] | United States House of Representatives | Colorado's 2nd district | Mark Udall | 61% | Sandy Hume | 37% |
| 2004[92] | United States House of Representatives | Colorado's 2nd district | Mark Udall | 67% | Stephen Hackman | 30% |
| 2006[93] | United States House of Representatives | Colorado's 2nd district | Mark Udall | 68% | Rich Mancuso | 28% |
| 2008 | United States Senate | Colorado (Class 2) | Mark Udall | 52% | Bob Schaffer | 42% |
| 2014 | United States Senate | Colorado(Class 2) | Mark Udall | 46% | Cory Gardner | 48% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromColorado's 2nd congressional district 1999–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromColorado (Class 2) 2008,2014 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Colorado 2009–2015 Served alongside:Ken Salazar,Michael Bennet | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| 1st district |   | |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd district | ||
| 3rd district | ||
| 4th district | ||
| 5th district | ||
| 6th district | ||
| 7th district | ||
| 8th district | ||
| At-large | ||
| Territory | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
