Background and career
Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman Jr. (born October 3, 1943) is an American retired politician who served as a United States senator from New Mexico from 1983 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 25th Attorney General of New Mexico from 1979 to 1983. During his time in the Senate, Bingaman served as Chairman of Committee Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus and was the longtime chair of the Senate 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 mater Stanford Law School as a fellow of its Steyer–Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance.
Bingaman was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Frances Bethia (née Ball) and Jesse Francis Bingaman. He grew up in Silver City, New Mexico. His father taught at Western New Mexico University and his mother taught in the public schools system. At age 15, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from Silver High School in 1961, Bingaman went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard University in 1965. He then entered Stanford Law School, graduating with a Juris 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 the U.S. Army Reserve. He attended basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a private and graduated from the chaplain enlisted assistant technician course at the Army Chaplain School, Fort Hamilton, New Jersey in April 1969.
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 and antitrust 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. In 1982, Bingaman was elected to the Senate, defeating one-term Republican incumbent Harrison 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. He was reelected four times. Bingaman was Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a member of the Finance Committee; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; and Joint 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 colleague Pete Domenici were the longest-serving duo among senators in the 110th United States Congress (2007–2009). In second place were Ted Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts. 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 Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. On February 18, 2011, Bingaman announced that he would not seek reelection in 2012. 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.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
