Ben Ray Luján (/luːˈhɑːn/ loo-HAHN;[2] born June 7, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from New Mexico since 2021.

On April 1, 2019, Luján announced his intention to seek the United States Senate seat being vacated by two-term Democratic incumbent Tom Udall in the 2020 election.

[8] After graduating from Pojoaque Valley High School in 1990,[9] Ben Ray Luján worked as a blackjack dealer at a tribal casino.

[11] Luján joined regulators in California, Oregon, and Washington to sign the Joint Action Framework on Climate Change to implement regional solutions to global warming.

[16] In June 2009, Luján voted for an amendment that would require the United States Secretary of Defense to present a plan including a complete exit strategy for Afghanistan by the end of the year.

[17] In September 2009, Luján wrote a letter urging the Obama administration not to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan.

[19][better source needed] He chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's Green Economy and Renewable Energy Task Force.

He has introduced legislation to provide relief to communities and businesses impacted by PFAS/PFOA contamination in groundwater around Air Force bases in New Mexico and across the country.

[20] In addition to supporting the Green New Deal, an economic stimulus package that aims to address climate change and economic inequality, Luján has developed legislation to put the United States on a path to net zero carbon emission and address climate change.

He cosponsored the STEM Education Coordination Act in an effort to produce more scientists and innovators in the United States.

[19][better source needed] He opposed the Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012 and was in favor of preserving sacred Native American ground.

[23] Luján worked to create legislation enabling tribes to directly request disaster assistance from the president.

[30] On January 6, 2021, Luján was participating in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

[34] In January 2024, Luján voted for a resolution, proposed by Bernie Sanders, to apply the human rights provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act to U.S. aid to Israel's military.

He was found to have had a stroke affecting his cerebellum and was transferred to the University of New Mexico Hospital for treatment, which included a decompressive craniectomy.