Mark Udall (D-Colo.)

Energy

Udall has long focused on alternative energy sources, touting the need to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil long before the rest of Washington. He has called for boosting investment in renewable energy, which would create jobs in Colorado, and requiring new vehicle fuel efficiency of at least 35 miles per gallon by 2015.

During his 2008 Senate race, Udall proposed an energy plan that would require 20 percent of the nation's power to come from renewable sources by 2020 and grant tax breaks to automakers that build cars that get 50 miles per gallon by 2030. That plan also reversed Udall's previous opposition to offshore drilling.

"I'm not opposed to drilling. What I've been opposed to is the Bush-Cheney focus solely on oil. I've been opposed to [the] Bush-Cheney line that we can drill our way out of this challenge," Udall said upon introducing the plan.

Environment

Long before he became an elected official, Udall was a noted conservationist. Once in office, he earned a 100 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters for all but one of his terms, for which he received a score of 95. He's a strong supporter of agricultural sustainability and conserving public lands and fought in 2007 to prevent drilling rigs on federal lands on the Roan Plateau in Colorado. He was also instrumental in the conversion of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons production plant into a wildlife refuge. His strong environmental record led to an endorsement from the Sierra Club in the 2008 Senate contest.

National Security

When it comes to national security, Udall is a staunch liberal, voting against giving the president authority to go to war with Iraq, opposing the USA Patriot Act and favoring shutting down Guantanamo Bay. Despite his opposition to the war, Udall voted to fund it in 2007, upsetting some supporters who were arrested during a protest in Udall's congressional office.

Udall traveled to Iraq twice as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and has argued for legislation stating that America has no interest in permanent bases in Iraq.

The Economy

In September 2008, Udall joined 171 House members in voting against the government's $700 bailout of the financial industry. "My first responsibility is to the people of Colorado and to our nation's taxpayers. I take very seriously the warnings about how conditions in the credit markets could affect the overall economy. But, the cost of this bailout was too high and the return far too uncertain for the American families who were being asked to bear the burden," he said in a statement.

Udall is a strong opponent of earmarks and has called for a moratorium on them. He also supports a presidential line-item veto to cut wasteful spending.

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