Ben Ray Luján

Luján was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1972 and grew up in Nambé, a small farming community north of Santa Fe.⁠[1][2]

He attended the University of New Mexico and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico Highlands University in 2007.⁠[1]

Before holding elected office he worked as director of administrative services and chief financial officer of the New Mexico Cultural Affairs Department.⁠[1][2]

From 2004 to 2008 Luján served on the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, which he also chaired.⁠[1][2]

From 2009 to 2021 he represented New Mexico’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House, succeeding Tom Udall; he was succeeded by Teresa Leger Fernandez.⁠[1]

During the 116th Congress he served as Assistant Speaker of the House.⁠[2]

In the 2020 election Luján ran for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Udall and defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti, a former television meteorologist, and Libertarian Bob Walsh.⁠[3]

Luján took office as a U.S. senator in January 2021.⁠[2]

In the 119th Congress (2025–2026) he served on the Senate committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Finance; Indian Affairs; and the Budget, and was ranking member of the agriculture subcommittee on food and nutrition, specialty crops, organics and research and of the commerce subcommittee on telecommunications and media.⁠[1]

In June 2026 he received the James Beard Impact Award for his work to restore the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).⁠[2]

In the June 2 Democratic primary Luján defeated Matt Dodson, a democratic socialist, with 84.2% of the vote.⁠[1][4]

In a statement after the primary he said New Mexico families “deserve someone who will fight for them every single day” and pledged to work on lowering costs, protecting access to health care and helping families afford food.⁠[4]

In the November 3 general election Luján defeated Republican nominee Larry E. Marker, who had won the Republican nomination in the June primary as a write-in candidate.⁠[5][1]

The Associated Press called the race for Luján at 6 p.m. Pacific time, right after the polls closed and before any vote counts were released.⁠[5]

In Congress Luján worked on the national monument designations for the Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area and the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, and passed House legislation to protect the greater Chaco Canyon region from oil and gas drilling and methane emissions.⁠[2]

He led efforts to strengthen the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act program, supported victims of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, and worked to bolster the Children’s Health Insurance Program and strengthen Medicaid and Medicare.⁠[2]

Senator Ben Ray Luján: Official website: https://www.lujan.senate.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[2]

X: Public account: https://x.com/SenatorLujan (opens in a new window).⁠[2]