Mark Udall
Template:Future election candidate
Mark Udall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Colorado | |
| Election date November 4, 2008 | |
| Opponent | Bob Schaffer |
| Incumbent | Wayne Allard |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Maggie L. Fox |
| Residence | Boulder County, Colorado |
| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Occupation | educational director |
Mark Emery Udall (born July 18 1950), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing Colorado's 2nd congressional district. The district consists of Broomfield, Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, and Summit counties, as well as portions of Adams, Boulder, and Jefferson counties. Udall is a candidate for the United States Senate in 2008.
Personal background
Mark was born in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Morris "Mo" Udall, a former congressman from Arizona and candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1976. He is a first cousin of Congressman (and fellow Senate candidate) Tom Udall of New Mexico and a second cousin of Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, and nephew of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall. The Udall family is one of the most prominent political families in the United States.
Mark Udall graduated from Canyon del Oro High School, located in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley in 1968. He graduated from Williams College in 1972 and moved to Colorado. He was an instructor, course director and program director with the Colorado Outward Bound School for 20 years, and served for 10 years as executive director.
In January 2008, Udall acknowledged to the Rocky Mountain News that he had pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana in 1972, and served a year's probation.[1]
Elected offices
After only one term in the Colorado State House of Representatives, Udall won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd District in 1998 after 12-year incumbent David Skaggs retired. The race was unexpectedly close, with Udall only defeating Boulder's Republican mayor, Bob Greenlee, by two points. He has since easily won reelection four times. He is co-chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus.
Udall touts his commitment to working for bipartisanship in Congress. On his campaign website, he discusses his advocation for environmentalism and the development for alternative fuels. He also writes that he is a strong supporter of military issues, including the development of new jobs in the aerospace field, but that he has opposed the Patriot Act since it was first initated.
Committee assignments
- Armed Services Committee
- Readiness Subcommittee
- Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
- Committee on Science and Technology
- Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
- NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Senate election 2008
On January 15, 2007, Senator Wayne Allard announced he would not run for a third term. Rep. Udall has expressed his interest in running and is the expected Democratic nominee for the race.
At the same time, his first cousin Representative Tom Udall is running for the New Mexico Senate seat left open by the retirement of Pete Domenici. Including their second cousin Senator Gordon Smith, there are three Udalls running in Senate elections in 2008.
In 2000 and 2002, Udall received money from Preston Gates, a national law firm with which Jack Abramoff was affiliated, before votes on bills to limit internet gambling, both of which Udall voted against. In 2006, after Abramoff had been jailed for corruption and was no longer donating to Udall, Udall then voted for a similar bill. There is no indication that Udall's votes were related to the contributions he had received from Preston Gates, and Udall never received any donations from Abramoff himself. Dick Wadhams, the Chair of the Colorado Republican Party, stated that Preston Gates "was just another law firm at that time, like hundreds of others." [2]
See also
- Udall family (political family)
References
- ^ http://www.rmchronicle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1904
- ^ Joey Bunch, Abramoff accusations fly in Senate race, The Denver Post 04/18/2008
External links
- An interview with Mark Udall: Education, Health Care, Religion and Climbing Everest
- U.S. Congressman Mark Udall, US. House site
- Udall for Colorado, Campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Candidate Bio Info at votimus.com
- About.com's Profile of Rep. Mark Udall, 2008 Senate Candidate from Colorado
*Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia