Mark Udall Bio
Mark Emery Udall (born July 18, 1950) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented Colorado’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the Colorado House of Representatives. The son of longtime Arizona Congressman Mo Udall and nephew of former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, he is part of the prominent Udall political family. During his career he focused on renewable energy, conservation, public lands, and privacy and surveillance reform. Udall ran for reelection to the Senate in 2014 but was narrowly defeated by Republican Cory Gardner.
Early Life and Background
Mark Emery Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona, to Patricia J. (née Emery) and Morris “Mo” Udall, the U.S. representative for Arizona’s 2nd congressional district from 1961 to 1991 and a 1976 Democratic presidential candidate. He grew up in a household shaped by public service and western politics, with his uncle Stewart Udall later serving as Secretary of the Interior under President John F. Kennedy. As a young man, Udall developed a strong interest in the outdoors that would later define both his personal pursuits and his legislative agenda.
Udall attended Canyon del Oro High School, graduating in 1968, where he was elected student body president. That same year he won the Arizona State Golf Championship in the boys’ division, signaling an early competitive drive. He went on to graduate from Williams College in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in American civilization. In 1976 he worked as a field coordinator for his father’s Democratic presidential primary campaign against Jimmy Carter, giving him a firsthand view of national political organizing.
Path to US Politics
After college, Udall moved to Colorado and joined Outward Bound, a nonprofit outdoor education organization. For ten years he worked as a course instructor, leading patrons on wilderness expeditions, and he also served as an instructor at the DoDDS’s Project Bold program at the Hinterbrand Lodge in Berchtesgaden, Germany. He later spent another ten years as Outward Bound’s Executive Director, completing a twenty-year career with the organization before entering electoral politics.
His transition into public office began in 1996, when he was encouraged to run for the Colorado House of Representatives by Peggy Lamm, the retiring representative of the 13th district. Running a grassroots campaign in the swing district of Longmont and Boulder, Udall narrowly defeated Republican Drew Bolin. During his two years in the state legislature he served on the Judiciary and Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committees, where he proposed an early Renewable Electricity Standard that, while it died in committee, foreshadowed his later federal work on energy policy.
Mark Udall Career
Early Career (1996–1998)
Udall’s first elected office came in the Colorado House of Representatives, where he represented parts of Boulder, Colorado. He won a competitive race against Republican Drew Bolin in 1996, campaigning on local issues and environmental protection. While in the chamber, he served on committees dealing with the judiciary and natural resources, laying the groundwork for his later focus on energy and conservation.
After his term ended, Udall chose not to seek reelection to the state House. He set his sights on the United States Congress, specifically Colorado’s 2nd congressional district, which was being vacated by incumbent David Skaggs. That decision set him on a path from state-level policymaker to a long career in federal office.
U.S. House of Representatives Breakthrough (1999–2008)
In the Democratic primary for Colorado’s 2nd congressional district, Udall faced three opponents and won with 44 percent of the vote, defeating his closest challenger, Gene Nichol, by 7 percentage points. In the general election, he faced Boulder Mayor Bob Greenlee and narrowly won, 49 percent to 47 percent, in an unexpectedly tight race. After that initial test, he was consecutively elected to five terms in the House without major opposition.
Throughout his House tenure, Udall developed a reputation as a leading voice on renewable energy and conservation. He was one of 66 House members to vote against the Patriot Act following the September 11 attacks. In 2004 he helped lead a successful statewide ballot initiative, Amendment 37, to adopt a Renewable Electricity Standard in Colorado requiring that 10 percent of energy consumed come from renewable sources. He ultimately decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Wayne Allard and was succeeded in the House by Jared Polis.
U.S. Senate Era (2009–2015)
Udall announced his campaign for the Senate in April 2007 and became the Democratic nominee after running unopposed in the primary. In the general election he faced former Republican U.S. Representative Bob Schaffer. By late August 2008, more than $10 million had been spent on attack ads against Udall by political parties and political action committees, an amount higher than in any other Senate race that year. On November 4, 2008, Udall won the election by 240,265 votes, becoming a United States Senator from Colorado.
During his Senate tenure, Udall served on key committees and focused heavily on energy, environment, and surveillance reform. He voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and supported the Affordable Care Act later that year. He earned a lifetime rating of 97 percent from the League of Conservation Voters and introduced the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act, which was passed in 2011. He also opposed National Security Agency mass surveillance programs and voted against reauthorizing the Patriot Act in 2011.
2014 Reelection Campaign and Defeat
On January 7, 2013, Udall announced his campaign for reelection to a second Senate term. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faced Republican U.S. Representative Cory Gardner in the general election. Although heavily favored in early polls, Gardner gained and held a steady lead from around September onward. Udall’s campaign focused on reproductive and women’s rights, attacking Gardner for his past support of a fetal personhood initiative, though PolitiFact rated one of his claims as “half true.” President Barack Obama headlined a fundraiser for his campaign, and he was later joined by Second Lady Jill Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but Udall ultimately lost the election to Gardner.
Mark Udall Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Mark Emery Udall was born into one of the most recognizable political families in the American West. His father, Morris “Mo” Udall, represented Arizona’s 2nd congressional district from 1961 to 1991 and ran for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination. His uncle, Stewart Udall, served as Secretary of the Interior under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. His relatives also include New Mexico Senator Tom Udall and Utah Senator Mike Lee, reflecting the broader reach of the Udall family’s involvement in western American politics.
Personal Life
Udall is married to Maggie Fox, an environmental lawyer who previously served as CEO of The Climate Reality Project. The two met while working at Outward Bound and were married in 1982. They have two children together. An experienced mountaineer and outdoor enthusiast, Udall has climbed Colorado’s 100 tallest peaks, known as “The Colorado Centennials,” as well as Kangchenjunga in the Himalayas and Aconcagua in South America, and he has attempted Mount Everest multiple times. Golf Digest ranked him the 11th best golfer in Congress in 2011.