Photos and Interview Clips: Sen. Jeff Bingaman Announces His 2012 Retirement

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Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) announced today that he has decided he will not seek a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. He talked to reporters at the Hotel Andaluz in Albuquerque this afternoon about the decision.

In the video above, Sen. Bingaman talks to Mary Ellen after the formal part of the press conference. He discusses that he'll most miss the personal relationships he's made over 28 and counting years in the U.S. Senate, but how the upside is that he will be able to renew his many friendships in New Mexico. He and his wife, Anne -- who had her own distinguished career in Washington -- plan to live in Santa Fe where they had a home when he served as New Mexico's attorney general from 1979-83 in his first elected office.

Mary Ellen also asks about his reputation as a gentleman politico of the old school -- something we seem to be missing these days. Sen. Bingaman said, "There are still quite a few old-style gentlemen around the Senate and I'll miss having daily interaction with a lot of them, but everything has its benefits and its detriments.

In the video above, Sen. Bingaman responds to a question from Mary Ellen on how he feels about his decision. He says, "This is the right decision for me and my family and I think it's going to be a good decision for the state and the nation as well."  In response to another question, he says he's "relieved to get the announcement part over with ." Sen. Bingaman also says he "I doubt that I'll be totally retired, but I haven't decided what I'm going to do." 

All photos and video by M.E. Broderick. Also see our earlier posts on Bingaman's announcement , here and here.