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Candidate for U.S. Senator

Name: Jeff Bingaman (i), Democrat

Age: 62

Campaign Web site address: www.bingaman2006.com

Occupation: U.S. senator

Family: Anne K. Bingaman, spouse; John Bingaman, son

Education: J.D. Stanford; bachelor's, Harvard; Western High School, Silver City.

Please list the experience you think would make you a good senator.

Four terms serving in the U.S. Senate as a strong advocate for New Mexicans. I also served as New Mexico Attorney General from 1979-1982.

Have you ever been arrested or charged with a felony or misdemeanor? If yes, explain: No.

What's the best meal you can cook from scratch? Burger with trimmings.

Last book you read: "One Percent Doctrine" by Ron Suskind

What was your biggest mistake in life and what lesson did you learn?

Seeing the convention effort of my Democratic opponent for the AG race Dick Bosson in 1978 and realizing that I was going to have to work harder for every single vote, taught me to be prepared for every single election.

What is your position on the war in Iraq? Should plans be made to reduce U.S. troop levels?

I voted against the resolution to authorize the president to go to war in Iraq because I was highly concerned about the quality of the administration's pre-war intelligence and because I had doubts about the administration's plan for dealing with Iraq's stability and security after toppling Saddam Hussein.

I believe we should set milestones for shifting responsibility for the security of Iraq to Iraqis in order to bring our troops home while ensuring Iraq's future stability.

Name three things you think Congress should do to stem the illegal immigration and drug trafficking along the border.

Provide funding for additional border patrol agents, surveillance equipment, and vehicle barriers along the border.

I also believe it's necessary to fix our immigration laws to provide legitimate avenues for individuals wishing to enter the United States in a legal, orderly and secure fashion.

Do you believe the Patriot Act presents challenges to civil liberties? What amendments, if any, would you offer to it, if you are elected?

I support giving law enforcement the tools necessary to aggressively fight terrorism but believe that modest modifications are required to ensure that we protect the balance between individual rights with national security concerns. The majority of the Patriot Act adequately preserves this balance.

However, there remain a few sections where this bill falls short. For example, the so-called library provision allows the government to obtain sensitive personal records, including library, business, gun, and medical records, of Americans by merely saying that they are relevant to a terrorism investigation. This provides the government almost unfettered authority to look at the personal records of Americans.

While the Senate passed a bill that addressed these concerns, the final bill lacked these corrections. I will continue to work to address these few problems with the Patriot Act during the next Congress.

How could the federal government improve its relations with American Indians?

First and foremost, I believe the government should fully fund the Bureau of Indian Affairs to ensure quality education, health care, and basic services for Native Americans.

The federal government last raised the minimum wage in 1997. Would you support an increase in wage, which is $5.15 an hour?

I have consistently supported raising the minimum wage, and I recently voted to increase the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour.

What is your position on abortion?

I believe that the choice to have an abortion is never an easy one and we should do everything we can to reduce the number of abortions by increasing access to contraceptives, better education, and adoptions.

With that said, I believe the ultimate decision is a personal one that should remain between the woman, her loved ones, and her physician.

What specific stances would you want to know an appointee to the Supreme Court holds?

I do not have a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees. When evaluating nominees, I look at their qualifications, whether their judicial philosophy is in the mainstream, and whether they are able to act independently and can rule on a case based on the law and not based on ideology.