Former representative Ben Ray Luján has won his race to represent the state of New Mexico in the U.S. Senate, joining only four other Latinos in the 100-member body. During his five terms, he became the senior Latino in the House of Representatives, representing a state where 40% of the voting base is of Latino heritage. When Democratic Senator Tom Udall decided not to seek re-election, Luján launched his Senate race against Republican opponent Mark Ronchetti. On November 4th, he emerged victorious with 51.6% of the vote.
Senator-elect Luján was born in Nambé, New Mexico, a small farming community near Santa Fe and bordered by the native Nambé and Pojoaque Pueblos. His mother worked in the Pojoaque Valley public school system and his father was a union ironworker and longtime member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, serving as both Majority Whip and Speaker of the House. He attributes his value of hard work, dedication and perseverance to his family and the community where he grew up. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from New Mexico Highlands University.
Following his father’s footsteps, Luján entered the world of politics, first serving as the New Mexico Cultural Affairs Department’s director of administrative services and chief financial officer and in 2004 being elected to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. Since 2008 and until his Senate election, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a fierce advocate of middle-class Americans, environmental protection and the indigenous community.
In the House, Luján was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sat on the Health Subcommittee, Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, and the Communications and Technology Subcommittee. Additionally, he represented his diverse district by participating in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Native American Caucus. He served as co-chair of the bipartisan National Labs Caucus and the Congressional Cleanup Caucus, and was a founding member of the Tech Transfer Caucus. In 2018, Luján chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which successfully led the Democratic effort to take back the majority of the House of Representatives and elected the most diverse and youngest Congress in history.
In the Senate, he will join Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) as the fifth Latino serving in the legislative body. “The first thing that has to be done to address inequalities and injustices when it comes to access to health care, educational opportunities, economic opportunities, challenges with housing, whatever it may be, is admitting that they exist,” he said in regards to his plans for the Senate. The second thing he will focus on is honoring the federal government’s commitment to the country’s Native American communities.
The Latino community is highly underrepresented in both the House and Senate, but Luján’s win is cause for celebration and an important stepping stone in the long path of increasing Latino representation in Congress and beyond.