Bauman was born in 1950 in Marinette, Wisconsin[1] and is the grandson of Harvey V. Higley, who served as Veteran's Administration director under President Dwight D.

[2][3] Now married to Judy, who was attending law school, Bauman drove taxis and worked as a home remodeler while helping raise the couple's two daughters.

[2][3] Bauman applied to Oregon Health Sciences University with hopes of becoming a doctor, but was not admitted.

[3] Having been energized by liberal Democratic politics while at UC Santa Cruz,[3] Bauman worked on Jerry Brown's 1976 Presidential campaign.

[3] In 1986, Bauman resigned his seat in favor of his wife to run for the Democratic nomination in the 1986 U.S. Senate election in Oregon.

[6] However, after the primaries, a House Ethics Committee probe into Weaver's campaign finances led him to withdraw his candidacy and the Oregon Democratic State Central Committee selected Bauman to replace Weaver on the ballot in August, just 10 weeks before the general election against three-term incumbent Bob Packwood.

[8] Following his loss in the Senate race, Bauman began working with the poor and homeless in Portland, organizing vigils and protests to draw attention to their plight.