Mark Udall

Mark Emery Udall (born July 18, 1950) is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Colorado's 2nd congressional district. He also previously served in the Colorado House of Representatives. Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the son of former U. S. Representative Morris "Mo" Udall. The Udall family is one of America's more prolific political families.

Early life, education, and teaching career
Mark Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona, and is the son of Patricia J. (née Emery) and Morris "Mo" Udall, a former congressman from Arizona and candidate for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination. He is a first cousin of Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico; a second cousin of Senator Mike Lee of Utah; and a double second cousin of former Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon. He is also the nephew of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.

Mark Udall graduated in 1968 from Canyon del Oro High School. He later graduated from Williams College in 1972 and moved to Colorado. He worked at the Colorado Outward Bound School for 20 years, including ten years as the school's 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.

In 1996, Mark Udall was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives, vacated by incumbent Peggy Lamm.

Elections
After only one term in the Colorado House of Representatives, in 1998 Udall won the Democratic nomination for Colorado's 2nd congressional district, after 12-year incumbent David Skaggs retired. The race was unexpectedly close, with Udall narrowly defeating Republican Boulder, Colorado Mayor, Bob Greenlee, winning 50%-48%. He won re-election four times without significant competition.

Tenure
Udall has always expressed his commitment to working for bipartisanship in Congress. On his campaign website, he discusses his advocacy for the environment and development of alternative fuels. He is a strong supporter of the U.S. military and military-related industries, including the development of new jobs in the aerospace field. Udall has stated that he has opposed the Patriot Act since it was first initiated. In November 2011 Udall introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that would forbid indefinite detention of United States citizens; the amendment was rejected by the Senate.


 * Legislative accomplishments
 * In 2000, a proposal led by Congressman Udall and Republican Senator Wayne Allard proposed transforming Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons production site, into a wildlife refuge, setting aside 6,400 acres (25 km²) after cleanup and closure. The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act passed in 2001.


 * Udall championed the effort to pass Amendment 37, a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard that requires an increase in the production of energy by renewable energy sources to 20% by 2020. Voters overwhelmingly supported Amendment 37 in 2004 and it was the first RES to be passed by voters as opposed to legislators.


 * Udall was part of the bipartisan effort of all Colorado delegates who proposed and passed a bill to improve the ability of the government to address the problems caused by the pine beetle infestation in Colorado's forestlands. It was estimated that all mature lodgepole pines could be decimated by 2010 if action is not taken.


 * Mark Udall secured $19 million in research and development funding for Colorado defense companies.


 * Udall and Republican Sherwood Boehlert worked together successfully to pass legislation that would provide funding to school districts to replace older diesel buses with buses that use renewable sources of energy, such as compressed natural gas or electricity.


 * Mark Udall re-introduced H.R. 595, the Stimulating Leadership in Cutting Expenditures (SLICE) Act, in January 2007 with the support of representatives including Jeff Flake and Tim Ryan. This Act would allow the President to identify specific items of federal spending that he thinks should be cut from appropriation bills and then require Congress to vote on each of those items individually.  The goal would be to reduce the amount of federal money that goes to congressional earmarks.


 * Mark Udall co-authored with Republican Representative Frank Wolf legislation that promoted a responsible redeployment strategy in Iraq.


 * In 2012, Udall was awarded the George E. Brown Jr. Science, Technology and Engineering Leadership Award by the Science, Engineering, Technology Working Group, a major coalition including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Physics et. al.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Agriculture
 * Committee on Small Business
 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Readiness
 * Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats
 * Committee on Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
 * Committee on Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
 * Subcommittee on Water and Power
 * NATO Parliamentary Assembly


 * Caucus membership
 * Congressional Fitness Caucus (Co-chair)
 * Democratic Freshman Class (Vice President)
 * Democratic Homeland Security Task Force
 * Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus (Co-chair)

Elections
On January 15, 2007, incumbent Senator Wayne Allard announced he would not run for a third term. Udall became the Democratic nominee for the race after running unopposed in the primary. In the general election, Udall faced former U.S. Representative Republican Bob Schaffer in what was considered one of the most competitive races in the country.

By August 28, 2008, over $10 million had been spent on attack ads against Udall by political parties and political action committees, an amount higher than in any other U.S. Senate race. Udall and Schaffer appeared on Meet the Press's Senate Debate series on September 28, discussing the proposed bailout of the U.S. financial system.

Udall's first cousin, U.S. Representative Tom Udall, ran for and won the U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico left open by the retirement of Pete Domenici. Including their double second cousin, Senator Gordon Smith; there were three Udalls running in Senate elections in 2008. Smith in Oregon was narrowly defeated in his bid for a third term.

On election day, Udall defeated Schaffer, winning 53% of the vote.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
 * Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
 * Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
 * Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Energy
 * Subcommittee on National Parks (Chairman)
 * Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
 * Special Committee on Aging


 * Caucus memberships
 * Congressional Fitness Caucus
 * International Conservation Caucus
 * Parkinson’s Disease Caucus (Co-chair)
 * Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus (Co-Chair)
 * Sportsmen's Caucus

Personal life
Udall is a 5th generation Westerner, and currently lives in Eldorado Springs with his wife and two children, one of whom is on the women's varsity volleyball team at University of Virginia.

He is an enthusiastic outdoorsman and enjoys skiing, golfing, hiking and camping. Udall is a prolific mountaineer and was featured in Men's Journal magazine for his athletic abilities. He has climbed all 54 mountains in Colorado with peaks above 14,000 feet elevation, and attempted some of the world's most challenging peaks, including Mt. Everest.

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