Mark Udall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Udall
Official portrait, 2009
United States Senator from Colorado
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Wayne Allard
Succeeded by	Cory Gardner
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	David Skaggs
Succeeded by	Jared Polis
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 13th 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	Maggie Fox ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	2
Parent	Mo Udall (father)
Relatives	Udall family
Education	Williams College (BA)
Signature

Mark Emery Udall (born July 18, 1950) is an American politician. He served as a United States Senator for Colorado from 2009 to 2015. Before that, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He also served in the Colorado House of Representatives.

Udall is a member of the Democratic Party. Throughout his career, he worked to support renewable energy. He also aimed to expand national parks and protect natural resources. He comes from a well-known political family, the Udall family. His father, Mo Udall, was also a U.S. Representative.

Early life and education

The Blue Peter nautical flag, which means a ship is "Outward Bound", is used as the program's symbol.

Mark Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona. His father, Mo Udall, was a U.S. Representative for many years. Mark went to Canyon del Oro High School and was elected student body president. In 1968, he won the Arizona State Golf Championship for boys.

He later graduated from Williams College in 1972. After college, Udall moved to Colorado. He started working for Outward Bound, a non-profit group that teaches outdoor skills. For ten years, he was an instructor, leading people on outdoor trips. He then became the Executive Director for another ten years.

Serving in Colorado

Colorado House of Representatives

In 1996, Mark Udall decided to run for the Colorado House of Representatives. He won a close election to represent parts of Longmont and Boulder. During his two years in office, he worked on committees for law and natural resources.

He suggested a law called "Renewable Electricity Standard." This law would have required 10% of Colorado's energy to come from renewable sources. This means energy from things like the sun or wind, not fossil fuels. The bill did not pass. Udall then decided to run for the United States Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives

After serving in the Colorado House, Udall ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He wanted to represent Colorado's 2nd congressional district. He won a close election in 1998. After that, he was re-elected five more times without much trouble. He left the House to run for a Senate seat.

Serving in the U.S. Senate

Senate elections

2004 election

In 2004, Udall thought about running for a Senate seat. But another politician, Ken Salazar, also decided to run. Udall stepped aside and supported Salazar instead.

2008 election

Senate election results by county in 2008.

In 2007, the Senator for Colorado, Wayne Allard, said he would not run again. Mark Udall announced he would run for the Senate. He became the Democratic candidate without anyone running against him in the primary election. In the main election, he ran against Republican Bob Schaffer.

A lot of money was spent on political ads during this election. Udall kept a steady lead in the polls. On November 4, 2008, Udall won the election.

2014 election

Senate election results by county in 2014.

In 2013, Udall announced he would run for re-election. He faced Republican U.S. Representative Cory Gardner. Early polls showed Udall ahead, but Gardner gained a lead later in the campaign.

Udall's campaign focused on reproductive and women's rights. He lost the election to Cory Gardner.

Senate work

After Udall became a Senator, the other senior Senator from Colorado, Ken Salazar, was chosen to be the United States Secretary of the Interior. This made Udall the most junior senior Senator.

Committee assignments

While in the Senate, Udall worked on several important committees:

• Committee on Armed Services: This committee deals with the military and national defense.
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: This committee focuses on energy, national parks, and public lands.
• Select Committee on Intelligence: This committee oversees intelligence agencies.

Political ideas

Agriculture

In 2014, Udall voted for a large bill about farming. This bill changed how farmers received payments and expanded crop insurance. It also made some changes to food assistance programs.

In 2011, Udall helped change school nutrition rules. He worked to remove a limit on how many potatoes could be served in school meals.

Privacy and security

Udall has been concerned about government surveillance programs. He believed that the government should protect people's privacy rights. He supported reforms to limit how much information the government could collect.

He voted against the Patriot Act in 2001 and again in 2011. This law was passed after the September 11 attacks to help fight terrorism. Udall felt it did not protect privacy enough.

Economy

In 2009, Udall voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This was a large government spending plan meant to help the economy during a difficult time.

Energy and environment

Udall has always supported tax breaks for renewable energy. He also worked to expand national parks. He has a high rating from the League of Conservation Voters, a group that supports environmental protection.

In 2004, Udall helped pass a statewide rule in Colorado. It required 10% of the state's energy to come from renewable sources. He also worked on laws to help ski resorts offer summer activities. In 2009, he introduced a bill to help fix environmental damage from a pine beetle problem in Colorado's forests.

Udall has voted against the Keystone XL pipeline. He wanted to wait for a full review of the project's environmental impact.

Gun policy

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Udall supported a ban on certain types of assault weapons. He also supported expanding background checks for gun purchases. He said he wanted to save lives.

Personal life

Mark Udall is married to Maggie Fox. She is an environmental lawyer. They met while working at Outward Bound and married in 1982. They have two children, Jedediah and Tess. Udall enjoys golf and was ranked among the best golfers in Congress.

Udall loves the outdoors. He has said that Colorado is an "outdoor state." He is an experienced mountaineer. He has climbed many tall peaks, including Colorado's 100 tallest mountains. He has also climbed Kangchenjunga in the Himalayas and Aconcagua in South America. He has tried to climb Mount Everest several times.

In 1986, Udall and his wife were on a mountain trek when his wife broke her leg. In 2013, his brother, Randy Udall, went missing during a solo hike and was later found deceased.

Electoral history

See also

• Udall family