My friends, let me begin like this: I’m proud to declare my candidacy for the United States Senate.
This is an exciting day for me and Jill and Amanda; for my father and for the whole Udall extended family. I think that includes all of you.
My decision to run for the U.S. Senate is not about ambition. It has been a real honor and privilege to serve the people of Northern New Mexico in the U.S. House.
I was looking forward to many more years representing New Mexico’s Third Congressional District. I love my job.
But I also love my state and my country and this election is just too important. Look at what’s happened over the last twelve months.
The American people spoke loudly and clearly in the 2006 elections. They demanded change at the highest levels: an end to divisive politics, an end to stagnation and stalemate and most importantly, an end to the War in Iraq. But none of that has happened, yet.
Under Democratic leadership, the House of Representatives has passed many bills that would have put our country back on the right track. I’ve been proud to be a part of this effort to realize:
- Timetables for bringing our troops home from Iraq;
- The largest increase ever for veterans funding;
- Badly needed reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act;
- Legislation allowing the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for Medicare;
- And energy security legislation, including my own bill to require electric utilities to use renewable sources.
The Senate is where all of this good legislation has gone to die. Without a veto-proof or filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, President Bush and his allies have been able to block every attempt at meaningful change.
It’s time to let the will of the American people be heard: it’s time for a new direction.
We need a government that reflects the priorities and concerns and wisdom of the American people. That’s why I’ve fought in Congress to:
- Fully fund our schools;
- Expand preventive health care;
- Strengthen homeland security;
- Protect the environment;
- And rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.
There’s something wrong when we’re spending billions on roads and bridges in Iraq while people are dying beneath falling bridges here at home.
As you know, from the outset I condemned the wisdom of preemptive war without solid evidence of a threat to national security or worldwide support. That’s why - in 2002 - I voted against authorizing the President’s use of force against Iraq.
I have opposed the Bush Administration’s attempts to thwart the constitution
- to expand executive power and reduce personal liberties – all in the name of national security. New Mexicans elected me to serve two terms as New Mexico’s Attorney General, and I know that it is possible to be tough on crime without abandoning our constitutional rights, that it’s possible to be tough on terrorism without alienating the world.
That’s why – in 2001 - I voted against the PATRIOT Act and why I continue to press for the repeal of its most senseless and dangerous sections. I continue to press for a ban on the use of torture. It is not what America has stood for in the past and it never should again.
But let me also say this – despite my opposition to this war, I have never doubted the courage, patriotism, and humanity of our troops. I go to every soldier send-off and welcome-home ceremony that I can. I speak often with injured soldiers at VA hospitals around the world and with the families of fallen soldiers. The young men and women of our armed forces represent the best of America. They have served our nation honorably and have successfully carried out the tasks that have been asked of them.
But after multiple extended tours of duty, what kind of America are these brave men and women returning to?
- The cost of living is up and economic security is down;
- Unfair trade policies are sending jobs overseas and unfair tax policies are hurting the middle class;
- A recession is looming and families are struggling to fill their gas tanks and heat their homes;
- And veterans can’t even count on their veterans benefits being there when they need them. Thousands of disabled New Mexico veterans are being forced to wait months for their claims to be resolved.
All the while, the president has done nothing to speed up the delivery of veterans benefits, nothing to strengthen the economy, nothing to stop unfair trade, nothing to lower gas prices, and nothing to break the oil-stained grip of Islamic regimes that turn a blind eye to terrorism.
The one thing this president has done is veto funding that would have helped low-income families heat their homes this winter.
I try to view every issue through the eyes of a New Mexico family. On their behalf I’ve fought for fair trade and fair tax policies in the U.S. House and to promote the interests of small businesses in Northern New Mexico.
We need a senator who can work with Jeff Bingaman and President….. Bill Richardson … to create more economic opportunity to keep our children here at home .
A key part of that effort is ensuring that our children have the skills and knowledge they need to compete in this global economy. Much of No Child Left Behind doesn’t work. It desperately needs to be reformed. I will continue that effort in the Senate to help every child and every school live up to its full potential.
Our commitment to education must continue through college. I’ve voted to lower interest rates on college loans which would save $4,100 for the average subsidized New Mexico college student. I’ve voted to increase Pell Grant scholarships by $200 million for 42,000 New Mexico students.
We’re doing all we can to increase college opportunities in the U.S. House. With your help, I can do that in the Senate .
New Mexico has become a national leader on clean energy. I’ve taken that fight to Washington by leading the effort in the House to reduce oil consumption in favor of renewable alternatives and to finally do something about climate change.
And, yes, I’ve worked with Republicans across the aisle to get this done. I was a co-founder of the International Conservation Caucus. I’ve co-authored a global warming bill with Wisconsin Republican Tom Petri to cap carbon emissions. This is one of those bill we cannot afford to let die in the U.S. Senate.
As most of you know, my father was Interior Secretary under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson; conservation is the legacy of the Udall family.
That’s why, for me, energy independence and clean energy are more than buzzwords, they’re the economic future of New Mexico and the moral imperative of this country. In the U.S. Senate, I can make them a reality.
I have led the fight to protect New Mexico’s special places that some would destroy for personal profit. I’ve worked across party lines and with divergent groups: loggers, hikers and ranchers and together we’ve been able to protect natural treasures like the Ville Vidal, the Ojito Wilderness and the Valle Caldera National Preserve. I am working now to create the Sabinoso Wilderness Area, another 20,000 unspoiled acres.
Protecting the outdoors and our rural areas extends to the need to preserve the 2nd amendment rights of hunters to own guns and of citizens to protect their homes and families.
Finally, as your Senator I will work to reform a badly broken health care system. New Mexico ranks among the nation’s worst in its percentage of uninsured residents, estimated at around 26 percent with disproportionate numbers in the Hispanic and native American communities.
We must first pass legislation to ensure that every American child has healthcare, and then fundamentally overhaul the American health care system to ensure health coverage for all. This is a monumental undertaking, but it is achievable.
If we can lead the world in the science of health care, then we can certainly lead the world in delivering it as well.
These have been the guiding principles of my service in the House of Representatives and they will be the principles of my service in the Senate. I have not been aiming for this job but I feel bound to my aim for a better state and a better country.
With your help, we can get this nation back on track, recapture fiscal responsibility, provide the government services that Americans deserve, and help restore the reputation of the United States throughout the world.
Most importantly, we can ensure that New Mexico will continue to be a special place with unbridled potential. Our state is a masterpiece of people and arts and culture and history and opportunity.
Some of our families have been here for centuries and have never abandoned their home. We have the gift of Native Americans, blessed with endurance and courage and fortitude despite over a century of injustice. We are home to new generations who have come here in search of economic opportunity and the freedoms of the West. In the years ahead, many more will come our way.
It is for all of these New Mexicans that we must work and strive and fight and never give up. It won’t always be easy.
We live in a very difficult time. There are families in our midst who have made tragic sacrifices for our country - for us.
For every New Mexican who has laid down their life in the service of our country, it’s worth remembering that this campaign is dwarfed in importance by their sacrifice. These are not battles that we will be fighting in the months ahead. Real battles are taking place right at this very moment thousands of miles from where we stand and the consequences there are so much more final.
And so I would ask, in the memory every soldier who has been lost in Iraq let us always keep a proper perspective on what we are about to embark upon and the possible outcomes that we face.
This is not life and death. This is not a march into the unknown. This is a campaign. So I would say to all of us running for this office, let us keep it positive and purposeful and focused on what really matters: redeeming our country, ending the bloodshed, restoring our nation’s principles and bringing our young men and women home.
Thank you and God bless you.
