Background
King is the son of Bruce King, a three-time Governor of New Mexico, and Alice M. King, former First Lady of New Mexico.
King is the son of Bruce King, a three-time Governor of New Mexico, and Alice M. King, former First Lady of New Mexico.
He attended New Mexico State University and obtained a bachelor"s degree in Chemistry in 1976. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in organic chemistry from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1980. He then attended the University of New Mexico School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor In 1984, King formed the law firm of King and Stanley in Moriarty, New Mexico.
In 1990, he assumed the position of Corporate General Counsel and Senior Environmental Scientist with Advanced Sciences, Incorporated., an environmental consulting firm.
He was the Attorney General of New Mexico, serving from January 1, 2007 to January 1, 2015. He lost his election bid for Governor of New Mexico in 2014. In 1998, King became the Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management at the United States. Department of Energy (Department of Energy) in Washington, District of Columbia
Within a year, he became the Department’s Director of the Office of Worker and Community Transition.
While at the Department of Energy, he developed and implemented a program fostering cooperation between federal, state, local and Native American governments to enhance cleanup activities. He served for 12 years in the New Mexico House of Representatives.
In 2004, King ran for New Mexico"s 2nd congressional district seat, losing to incumbent Republican Steve Pearce by 60%-to-40%. In 2006, King was elected Attorney General of New Mexico.
He was re-elected in 2010, winning against Curry County District Attorney Matthew Chandler.
On March 2, 2011, King on behalf of the Respondent, New Mexico, argued before the United States Supreme Court in Bullcoming v. New Mexico. On July 10, 2012, King officially announced that he was seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor of New Mexico. King unsuccessfully took on New Mexico Governor Susana Martínez in the General election.
He told fellow Democrats at a fundraiser that Martinez "does not have a Latino heart".
Member of National Rifle Association, Sierra Club.
Married Yolanda Jones, 1986.