Tom Udall was just completing a walking tour of the Santa Fe Farmers Market on a recent Thursday morning. A chile vendor, after talking to Udall about her wares, gave the congressman a small bag of roasted green, prompting a gracious thank-you from the candidate.

Afterward, a reporter joked, "Will I see that on your next campaign contribution report?" The ever-earnest Udall replied, "No, we're paying for this." He looks at an aide with a "make-it-so" expression.

It had been a good morning for the five-term Congressman and his campaign for U.S. Senate. He started out with a breakfast rally at Tomasita's, which attracted so many people Udall was lucky none of them were fire marshals. The restaurant ran out of breakfast burritos before the last few dozen people crammed inside, and it was hard in the back to hear the speakers.

But Udall seemed to bask in the presence of so many well-wishers — which included his wife, Jill Cooper; his father, former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall; and his sister, Lynn Udall, a recently retired teacher who worked for Santa Fe Public Schools for 25 years.

That was followed by the trip to the Farmers Market, where he went down the row of vendors, speaking to each one, talking vegetables as much as politics. He was about to buy flowers for his wife from one booth before an aide told him Cooper, who was in another part of the market, had already bought a bouquet. "Tell Jill I was going to buy her some flowers," he said.

Several people at the market approached Udall. Most of them seemed to want to thank him for voting against both versions of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill. Several times when this happened, Udall invited the well-wishers to express their views to the reporter following him.

The "bailout" was by far the biggest topic of political discussion nationwide that week. Both Udall and his Republican opponent Steve Pearce voted against the bailout bills, albeit for different reasons. Udall says the bills didn't have enough protections for taxpayers. Pearce says there should be free-market solutions for the economic crisis.

Udall clearly was enjoying greeting constituents on his home turf in Santa Fe, which he represents in Congress, and where he started his political career more than a quarter century ago.

Udall, the early years: Udall was born in Tucson, Ariz., into a long established Western political family. His grandfather, Levi, was an Arizona Supreme Court justice. His father was Interior secretary during the New Frontier and Great Society eras while his uncle Morris "Mo" Udall was a longtime congressman and a 1976 presidential contender. His cousin Mark Udall is a congressman from Colorado who also is running for Senate. "The Udall name in the West is a positive," Lonna Atkeson, a political science professor at The University of New Mexico, said in an interview last year,. "A Udall in the West is like a Kennedy."

Tom Udall moved to New Mexico in 1975, right after getting a Bachelor of Laws degree from Cambridge University in England. He later earned a law degree at the University of New Mexico.

Tom Udall's first stab at politics was in 1982, the year New Mexico gained a third seat in Congress. The new 3rd Congressional District, which included most of Northern New Mexico, would be an overwhelmingly Democratic district. The Democratic primary was crowded that year. Udall was joined in the race by Roberto Mondragón, who was lieutenant governor at the time; District Judge George Perez; and a relative newcomer, Bill Richardson, who had come close to winning the 1st Congressional race in 1980. Udall finished last in the primary.

Udall, who moved to Albuquerque, made another unsuccessful race for Congress. He lost the Democratic primary in 1988. But two years later he won the statewide race for attorney general. Udall was re-elected in 1994.

The congressional years: After Richardson left his congressional seat in 1997 to serve in the Clinton administration, the state Democratic Party Central Committee nominated Corporation Commissioner Eric Serna for the 3rd District seat. That proved to be a disaster. A strong challenge by Green Party candidate Carol Miller siphoned off enough Democratic votes to allow the Republican Bill Redmond of Los Alamos to win a plurality.

The next year, ineligible to run for a third term as attorney general, Udall made another move for Congress. He defeated Serna in the Democratic primary, then went on to easily beat Redmond in the 1998 general election.

Once in Washington, Udall was a loyal vote for the administration during President Clinton's last two years in office. With George W. Bush in the White House, Udall became a reliable critic of the administration. In 2001, he voted against the U.S. Patriot Act — he was in the minority even within his own party, which backed the controversial bill that expands law enforcement powers to fight terrorism and, critics say, is an assault on civil liberties. In 2001, he voted against the Iraq War resolution, as did a majority of House Democrats.

As a Democrat, he was in the minority party in the House until after the 2006 election. With Democrats in control, Udall was appointed in 2007 to the influential House Appropriations Committee.

When longtime U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici announced last year that he wouldn't seek re-election, the pressure was on Udall to give up his safe House seat and his coveted committee assignment. At first, he flatly said he wasn't interested.

"The election to replace Domenici in 2008 will be a tough one, but I have every reason to believe I could win it," Udall said in an e-mail statement on Oct. 5, 2007. "I also believe, however, that as I continue to gain in seniority in the House, assume more of a leadership role, assert my authority on the appropriations committee and pass significant legislation like my bill to promote renewable energy, I am in the right place to serve New Mexico and the country."

After another month or so of pressure from Senate Democrats, however, Udall finally relented. By the end of November, he announced his Senate campaign.

The campaign: Like many candidates of all political persuasions, he began moving noticeably to the center as soon as the general election campaign began. That was obvious when Udall, who through the years has earned low grades from national gun-rights groups, released a statement praising the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to deem Washington, D.C.'s gun ban unconstitutional. (The Pearce campaign pointed out that Udall in 2004 voted against a bill that would have overturned Washington's gun law. Udall said his vote on that bill was about home rule, not gun rights.)

In the area of energy, Udall, who has consistently voted against bills to expand offshore drilling, more gas refineries and nuclear power, now advertises he's for a "do-it-all" energy policy. Pearce has listed several bills to expand drilling that Udall voted against. A Udall campaign spokeswoman, however, said most of that legislation was "all or nothing" bills that Udall couldn't support.

But showing oil derricks and nuclear power plants in his campaign commercials hasn't hurt Udall with environmental groups that have always backed him.

Defenders of Wildlife has spent more than $422,000, which includes television ads for Udall and against Pearce. (Some of that amount includes spots last spring that blasted both Pearce and his Republican primary opponent, Heather Wilson). The League of Conservation Voters has spent more than $18,000 for Udall, according to campaign finance reports.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.

TOM UDALL, DEMOCRAT

Family: Wife: Jill Cooper Udall; daughter: Amanda Cooper

Hometown: Santa Fe

Education: Bachelor's degree, Prescott College, 1970; Bachelor of Laws, Cambridge University, 1975; law degree, University of New Mexico, 1977

Occupation: U.S. representative, 3rd Congressional District

Age: 60

Years in New Mexico: 33

Party loyalty: Voted as a House member with the Democrats' positions 98 percent of the time, according to The Washington Post's Vote Database

Have you ever been arrested for, convicted of, charged with or accused of a felony or misdemeanor? No

Have you or any company you've owned or own ever filed a bankruptcy petition?

Best meal you can cook from scratch: Grilled salmon marinated in a Udall special sauce with steamed garlic kale

Name the last book you read: Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas L. Friedman, a recently released book that details how a green revolution can renew America

What alternative energy programs do you use, either in your car, at your home or at your work? Drive a hybrid vehicle

Name the last charity for which you volunteered: St. Elizabeth Shelter, where Jill and I serve meals

What role, if any, does spirituality play in your life? An important role. (Religion: Mormon)

When was the last election in which you didn't vote? I try to vote in all of them, but it was likely a small local election when I was back voting in D.C.

What kind of car do you drive in New Mexico? Toyota Prius

Campaign Web site: www.TomUdall.com

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