Udall’s legacy

The New Mexico political world was surprised by Senator Tom Udall’s announcement to not bid his 2020 re-election.
Let us dive into his legacy as a New Mexico politician.

Tom Udall was the NM Attorney General in the 1990s and the Congressional Representative in the 2000s. He became one of our NM Senators in the 2010s.
He has voiced his beliefs on environmental change, Native American rights, and renewable energy. He has been a solid Democratic politician.

Vent time

Tom Udall has made mistakes or to look back, “paths that did not prove the best”. His mistakes are shared among fellow politicians over the years. However, this blog will not focus on the policies or ideas that did not work that he supported.

Instead, the focus would be on the criticism of his unfair nature of being a politician.
Tom Udall appears to be a good man with good intentions. His support for environmental issues are open, and he would be a great person to discuss those issues.
He supported a bill which would add more land to the Pueblo of Sandia. He supported to lower campaign funding by corporations. These are just a few of his supports.

Yet, it becomes difficult to state the issues with a respected New Mexico politician.

1. Politician stereotypes
Politicians are labeled with stereotypes and assumptions.
Politicians are assumed to be corrupted, elitist, selfish, cocky, and etc.
I do not think Tom Udall had any of those assumptions (in my view).
I do think that he categorized as a typical politician man without those negatives.
His career has touched every New Mexico political field. I believe this is the issue.

New Mexico politicians (the most prominent ones) have a tendency to jump from one office to the other. Tom Udall has done this throughout his political career. There is nothing wrong with trying to expand or move up in one’s career, but it has been a pattern for state politicians. It adds another type of stereotype for politicians that run for multiple offices in their career.

Lastly, he comes from the generation of politicians who began as lawyers. I would have to write another blog about the emergence of lawyer politicians that arose after World War II. It would make sense, because Congress creates laws and bills that are easy to be created by lawyers and attorneys. Tom Udall comes from that generation, and that generation has begun to fade from U.S politics. People are understanding how many 20th century politicians have come from a background of law. I would have to do more research on the percentage of lawyers who served in Congress for the past 100 years. Yet, from experience, almost all students who are political science majors go to law school. So, that mindset continues.

2. Impact
Tom Udall’s impact could be balanced for he has brought good representation for the state, but he has not brought much in return nor elevated the state’s reputation beyond its stagnate point. He has all the accomplishments of a New Mexico politician, but I am not sure whether his impact can be felt.
I do believe that Tom Udall was a good politician, and did not embarrass the state (in my lifetime) during his political career. I just do not think he had monumental impact or special legacy attached.
Yet, that will not fault on him. Many politicians are simple and good. I just wish more came from career.

3. What’s Next?
Tom Udall has said his fight for environmental issues will continue, and he will not stop his role in New Mexico and the U.S. I think that passion gives a progressive next step for his life toward bettering the world. I would love to talk to him about similar issues.
Of course, 2020 has a void to be filled, and most likely a Democrat will win that seat. I will find someone who I believe and support them for that push. It feels down to lose a good Senator like Udall, but he has laid the spot in good assurance for the next person to represent the state. It will be hard overachieve Tom Udall’s Senate career, and I wish the next person good luck.