High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman, Jr. (born October 3, 1943), is the senior U.S. Senator from New Mexico. He has been in the Senate since 1983 and is a member of the Democratic Party. Bingaman was Attorney General of New Mexico from 1978 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1982, when he defeated Republican incumbent and former astronaut Harrison Schmitt. He was re-elected in 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2006. After 26 years spent as a Junior Senator, Bingaman became New Mexico's Senior Senator, as Pete Domenici decided to not seek reelection in 2008. In the general elections held on November 4, 2008, Democrat Tom Udall won Domenici's seat in the Senate.