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Official portrait of Ben Ray Luján

Ben Ray Luján

D Democrat · Senator, New Mexico
10
Low self-dealing
6/6 components have data
#166 of 193 scored

Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) presents a largely clean self-dealing profile. He does not own or trade individual stocks and has co-sponsored multiple congressional stock-trading bans (ETHICS Act, Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act), and his disclosed net worth is modest (roughly $167k-$430k in 2023), dominated by savings accounts and a state pension rather than market assets. He pledged to refuse corporate PAC money in his 2020 Senate run; industry money correlations exist but no specific quid-pro-quo is documented. His missed-vote rate (3.8% lifetime) is slightly above the Senate median, largely attributable to a 2022 stroke recovery, and no campaign personal-use, family-lobbying, or revolving-door scandals surfaced in public records.

Public record

In Congress since
2009
Committees
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Finance
Indian Affairs
Budget
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
Missed votes, 119th Congress
1.3% (12 of 915; median member 1.9%)
Campaign money, 2025–26 cycle
$5.6M raised · 31% from PACs & committees · $4.4M cash on hand FEC ↗

The stock-trading ban

Senate cloture on H.R. 7008, Sep 30, 2026
No
Cosponsored a ban bill
None

H.R. 7008 bans new stock purchases by members, spouses and dependents; it doesn't force sales of existing holdings. The Senate vote was on the version paired with the SAVE Act, which is why no Democrat voted yes. Full breakdown →

Disclosed stock trades

No periodic transaction reports on file since 2024. That's the norm: most members don't trade individual stocks, or hold them in blind trusts and diversified funds.

Amounts are the ranges members must report, not exact values. The STOCK Act requires a report within 45 days of a trade; "late" counts days past that deadline, measured to the filing date.

How the score breaks down

Stock self-trading
25% weight
0
Luján does not own or trade individual stocks; he co-sponsors congressional stock-trading bans. No STOCK Act periodic transaction reports for individual equities. Score 0 per rubric (absence not penalized).
Luján does not own or trade individual stocks and has not been accused of insider trading; 2023 disclosure shows only savings, a state pension, and a credit-union account.Data aggregatorfinbold.com ↗Luján co-sponsored the ETHICS Act and Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act to prohibit members/spouses from trading stocks.Official recordlujan.senate.gov ↗
Net-worth enrichment in office
15% weight
5
Disclosed 2023 net worth is modest, roughly $167k-$430k, consisting of Wells Fargo savings, a NM state pension, and a credit-union account. No evidence of growth beyond salary; ranks among lower-wealth senators.
2023 disclosure puts net worth between ~$167,000 and $430,000, composed of savings ($100k-$250k), a NM state pension ($50k-$100k), and a credit-union account ($15k-$50k).Data aggregatorfinbold.com ↗OpenSecrets personal-finances profile tracks Luján's reported net worth over his tenure.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗
Money → action alignmentcorrelation, not proof of any quid-pro-quo
20% weight
25
CORRELATION, NOT PROOF. As former DCCC chair and a Commerce Committee member, Luján draws telecom/tech and other sector money; he pledged to reject corporate PAC money in 2020. Industry-money/vote correlations exist but no documented quid-pro-quo.
Luján sits on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (telecom/tech jurisdiction); OpenSecrets tracks his industry donations by cycle.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗Luján pledged not to accept corporate PAC money for his 2020 Senate campaign.News reportingsfreporter.com ↗
Campaign-fund personal use
15% weight
8
No FEC personal-use enforcement found. A 2017 House Ethics matter concerned a campaign consultant using a House-floor image in a fundraising email (Rule V); the Committee found no improper solicitation by Luján himself. No personal-benefit spending documented.
House Ethics report (115th Cong.) examined a campaign communication using a House-floor image but found Luján did not solicit contributions from the House floor.Official recordcongress.gov ↗Office of Congressional Conduct referral regarding Rep. Ben Ray Luján.Official recordconduct.house.gov ↗
Revolving door & family
15% weight
10
Routine staff-to-private-sector turnover exists (typical of any Senate office) but no documented family lobbying or contracts tied to his office. His father was a NM state legislator, not a federal lobbyist. No specific revolving-door scandal found.
LegiStorm tracks Luján's staff career paths; standard congressional staff turnover, no documented direct-lobbying pipeline tied to official acts.Reference databaselegistorm.com ↗Luján's father, Ben Luján Sr., was a New Mexico state legislator (Speaker), not a federal lobbyist.Reference databaseen.wikipedia.org ↗
Skips the job to fundraise
10% weight
12
Lifetime missed-vote rate 3.8% (93 of 2,459), slightly worse than the 2.8% Senate median, but largely driven by a 2022 stroke recovery absence. No evidence of paid speeches or fundraising-driven absenteeism.
Luján missed 93 of 2,459 roll-call votes (3.8%) Jan 2009-Jun 2026, worse than the 2.8% median; absence in early 2022 was due to stroke recovery.Reference databasegovtrack.us ↗GovTrack 2024 report card for Sen. Luján details attendance metrics.Reference databasegovtrack.us ↗

Sources behind this score: 2 data aggregator · 3 official record · 6 reference database · 1 news reporting. Score = weighted average of the components that have data; the 0 without sourced evidence are excluded, never counted against the member. Methodology →

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