U.S. Department of Energy

In 1998, he became the policy advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management at the United States Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington, D.C. Within a year, he became the department's director of the Office of Worker and Community Transition. While at the DOE, he developed and implemented a program fostering cooperation between federal, state, local and Native American governments to enhance cleanup activities.

Attorney General

As the 30th Attorney General of New Mexico, King spearheaded the effort to get legislation passed that made it a felony crime to engage in the practice of human trafficking. The United Nations committee invited King to present this legislation as a model for other nations seeking to end the practice of human slavery.^[5]

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. ^{[citation needed]}

1998 gubernatorial election

King was a candidate for Governor of New Mexico in the 1998 New Mexico gubernatorial election, placing second in the Democratic primary to then-Mayor of Albuquerque Martin Chavez.

2004 congressional election

In 2004, King ran for New Mexico's 2nd congressional district seat, losing to incumbent Republican Steve Pearce. In 2006, King was elected Attorney General of New Mexico. He was re-elected in 2010, winning against Curry County District Attorney Matthew Chandler.^{[citation needed]}

2014 gubernatorial election

On June 3, 2014, King won the New Mexico Democratic primary for governor and was immediately endorsed by his opponents; Alan Webber, Lawrence Rael, Howie Morales and Linda Lopez. King unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Republican governor Susana Martinez in the general election. He told fellow Democrats at a fundraiser that Martinez "does not have a Latino heart".^[6]