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SANTA FE - U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman's decision not to seek re-election exemplified his style - understated, unpretentious, cool-headed.
Even longtime friends said Friday they never saw it coming.
"It's a shock and a half," said state Rep. Dona Irwin, D-Deming, who was a county coordinator for Bingaman when he first ran for the Senate in 1982.
Irwin's sister, Bobbie Neal Little, held a similar job for Bingaman's opponent, then-U.S. Sen. Harrison Schmitt.
Bingaman and Schmitt grew up in Silver City. Both went to Harvard. Each was an extraordinary achiever.
Republican Schmitt, who walked on the moon as an Apollo 17 astronaut, seemed like the favorite during those Reagan years. Bingaman, though, outworked him, turning Schmitt into a
one-term senator.Bingaman, 67, will have had five terms when he steps aside after the 2012 election. Thirty years in the Senate is a round number, but Bingaman said he had mixed feelings about giving it up.
"It is not easy to get elected to the Senate, and it is not easy to decide to leave the Senate," he said.
Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, too, said he was caught off-guard by the news. He lamented New Mexico's impending loss of seniority and clout in the Senate.
"I'm saddened by Sen. Bingaman's decision not to run for re-election," he said. "Southern New Mexico has taken off over the years, a lot thanks to Sen. Bingaman. That's a huge loss for the state."
Bingaman said plenty of work left to be done in Congress, but this
"The simple truth is, there is no ideal time to step aside," Bingaman said.
Many called him a conservative Democrat, but Bingaman was not easy to define. His decisions on momentous issues fit no pattern.
He voted against the the confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991.
Bingaman voted against authorizing the war in Iraq in October 2002. He recently supported an extension of the Patriot Act.
Friday's announcement was "interesting," said Russell Allen, chairman of the Do-a Ana County Republicans.
"It makes an open seat, and if there's an open seat, in theory, all bets are off," said Allen, also vice president of operations for Allen Theatres. "It's a great opportunity for new blood."
On fiscal matters, Bingaman was unabashed about bringing home money for New Mexico's laboratories, universities and military installations.
He appeared at the state Capitol last month, and centered his speech around one fact: For every dollar New Mexicans paid in federal taxes, Washington sent $3.34 back to the state. Only Mississippi and West Virginia received more.
Miyagishima said Bingaman has helped secure funding for key city projects in recent years, including $12 million for an airport runway, $4 million for transit vans and $3 million for its intermodal transfer station. But more important, he said, was Bingaman's work interfacing with federal agencies.
"This allowed our staff to complete projects that otherwise would have taken substantially longer to complete," Miyagishima said.
Born in El Paso, in 1943, Bingaman grew up in a home where hard work and high expectations were the norm. His father taught science at Western New Mexico University and his mother was a public school teacher.
Bingaman graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in government. He then received a law degree from Stanford.
Still, Irwin said, Bingaman was pure New Mexico, no matter how much success he had on the coasts
"He's been great," she said. "He hired people from New Mexico who knew the state well. He's also never lost sight of southern New Mexico, which is important, because some people seem to think the state stops at Socorro."
President Obama said Bingaman had the respect of Republicans and Democrats, in Washington and in New Mexico.
"He has been a tireless advocate for preserving America's natural resources and promoting a clean energy future," Obama said in a statement.
State Rep. Joni Gutierrez, D-Mesilla, called Bingaman a "great senator and a great man" and said she was sad to learn of his decision. She said the senator has backed federal funding for social and agriculture programs in Do-a County County. The state will lose out, no matter who is elected, because only time can give a person the same experience and standing, Gutierrez said.
"Seniority really makes a big difference," she said. "And I just hate to see that (lost)."
Gutierrez said that's especially true for topics related to energy and the environment, a focus of the senator's expertise.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez called Bingaman "an upstanding man of character who has served his state with great honor and distinction."
Fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico said Bingaman never promoted himself, and brought a professorial style to Washington.
"He is one of the most thoughtful and serious legislators in the United States Senate," Udall said.
Miyagishima said Udall is "going to have to carry a good chunk of the work now, but we'll be there to help him."
Irwin said she had no sense of who would try to succeed Bingaman, nor did it matter, with the election a year and a half away. But, she said, he will be a tough act to follow.
"He was very easy to talk to," she said. "He also was very easy to get in to see, and that's rare."
Sun-News reporter Diana M. Alba contributed to this report.
Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@-tnmnp.com or (505) 820-6898. His blog is at nmcapitolreport.com.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman
•Age: 67
•Party: Democrat
•Hometown: Silver City
•Family: wife and one son
•Education: bachelor's degree in government from Harvard; law degree from Stanford University
•First elected: 1978, New Mexico Attorney General; 1982, U.S. Senate
•Senate committee membership: Energy and Natural Resources Committee (chairman); Finance Committee; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; Joint Economic Committee
•Senate tenure: fifth term
Source: http://bingaman.senate.gov
