U.S. Senator from New Mexico
Ben Ray Luján
Democrat · New Mexico
Former DCCC chair and House member, elected to Senate in 2020. Survived a stroke in 2022. Focus on rural broadband, tribal communities, and Hispanic economic empowerment.
Record
Progressive Democrat. Focus on rural and tribal community needs including broadband, healthcare access, and economic opportunity. Champion of Latino communities and bilingual education.
Legislative Record
Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)
- S.5177 — A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include two counties in New Mexico in a certain Veterans Integrated Service Network. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5196 — A bill to prohibit the Department of Justice from granting immunity to the President, Vice President, or family members, trusts, parents, sisters, related companies, or affiliates of the President or Vice President, for certain crimes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5162 — A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance the authority of the National Taxpayer Advocate. (Introduced, Jul 29, 2026)
- S.5118 — A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to meaningfully involve the public and State, Tribal, and local government officials prior to determining whether to offer certain parcels of land for oil or gas leasing, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5073 — Tax Complexity and Fraud Prevention Review Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.5072 — Taxpayer Transparency and Notice Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.4966 — High Court Gift Ban Act (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
- S.4890 — Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
Notable votes
- Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
- Voted Yea on H.R. 6644 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6644 with an Amendment (SA 5823) (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jun 18, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)
- S.5193 — A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the capacity to improve health outcomes and increase access to specialized care. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.4634 — CONNECT Act (Introduced, Jul 29, 2026)
- S.3982 — AI Fraud Accountability Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5037 — MediKids Act (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5108 — A bill to protect and expand nationwide access to assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.1454 — FIGHT Act of 2025 (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.4814 — A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status. (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.5078 — Small Tax Case Threshold Modernization Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
Voting analysis
Ben Ray Luján did not miss a recorded vote, and nearly every time he left the Democratic position he did so to support something rather than to block it.
Carrying one bill, and three resolutions
One measure accounts for four of his departures: he backed it at passage, twice on cloture, and on the amendment written into it. Three more are joint resolutions he supported against the caucus, and two are Republican amendments adopted with his vote. Only one runs the other way — an amendment from a colleague in his own caucus that he declined.
| Roll call | Date | Outcome | Their vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.R. 1 Klobuchar Amdt. No. 2849 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 2849 to S.Amdt. 2848 to S.Amdt. 2360 to H.R. 1 · roll call 119 | Jul 1, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Nay (party: Yea) |
| S. 1582 S. 1582, As Amended On Passage of the Bill S. 1582 · roll call 119 | Jun 17, 2025 | Bill Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 1582 Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. 1582 On the Cloture Motion S. 1582 · roll call 119 | Jun 12, 2025 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 1582 Amdt. No. 2307 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 2307 to S. 1582 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Jun 12, 2025 | Amendment Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 1582 Motion to Invoke Cloture: Amdt. No. 2307 to S. 1582 On the Cloture Motion S. 1582 · roll call 119 | Jun 11, 2025 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.J.Res. 25 On the Joint Resolution H.J.Res. 25 · roll call 119 | Mar 26, 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S.J.Res. 3 S.J. Res. 3 On the Joint Resolution S.J.Res. 3 · roll call 119 | Mar 4, 2025 | Joint Resolution Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 5 Ernst Amdt No. 8, As Amended On the Amendment S.Amdt. 8 to S. 5 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Jan 20, 2025 | Amendment Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 5 Cornyn Amdt. No. 14 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 14 to S.Amdt. 8 to S. 5 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Jan 15, 2025 | Amendment Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.J.Res. 109 On the Joint Resolution H.J.Res. 109 · roll call 118 | May 16, 2024 | Joint Resolution Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
Above the New Mexico average
New Mexico's two Democratic senators both depart fairly often, and Luján is above the average of the two.
Among the 2 Democrats in the New Mexico delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 5.5%. Ben Ray Luján is above that average at 5.9%.
What he legislates on
He is ranking member of subcommittees on food and nutrition and on telecommunications. One filing is unusually pointed: a prohibition on the Justice Department granting immunity to the president, vice president, or their family members, trusts, related companies or affiliates for certain crimes. The others are administrative and local — adding two New Mexico counties to a veterans health network, enhancing the taxpayer advocate's authority, requiring public and tribal involvement before offering land for oil and gas leasing, and a review of tax complexity and fraud.
Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Ben Ray Luján's cluster into: Law (1), Native Americans (1).
Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.
Tenure
House service from the end of the two-thousands carries into this seat, placing him in the veteran band.
First elected in 2009, now serving across 9 terms. Ben Ray Luján falls in the veteran cohort.
By the numbers
In the 119th Congress, Ben Ray Luján has 566 bills sponsored, 3281 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.
Committee assignments
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Senate Committee on Finance
- Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
- Senate Committee on the Budget
- United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research (Ranking Member)
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Rural Development, Energy, and Credit
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety
- Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Telecommunications and Media (Ranking Member)
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