Michael F. Bennet

Democrat senior Senator of Colorado

Senator
Colorado
January 22, 2009 - January 3, 2011
Senator
Colorado
January 5, 2011 - January 3, 2017
Senator
Colorado
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2023
Senator
Colorado
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029

202-224-5852

@SenatorBennet

bennet.senate.gov

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Congresses Served

Senate Terms

January 1, 1964 (60 years old)

Birthday

Served as the senior United States senator since 2009
Appointed to the Senate seat following Ken Salazar’s appointment as Secretary of the Interior
Previously worked as a managing director for the Anschutz Investment Company, chief of staff to Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, and superintendent of Denver Public Schools
Son of Douglas J. Bennet, a former State Department official and president of Wesleyan University
Earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School
Ran for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2019 but dropped out in 2020
Born in New Delhi, India, to a mother who is a Holocaust survivor from Warsaw, Poland
Grew up in Washington, D.C., and was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade
Worked early in his career for Ohio governor Richard Celeste and was counsel to the U.S. deputy attorney general during Bill Clinton’s administration
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, defeating Republican nominee Ken Buck, and reelected in 2016 and 2022
Chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2014 cycle
Called for the invocation of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to remove Trump from office following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
Holds positions on several Senate committees, including Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Finance; Rules and Administration; and the Select Committee on Intelligence
Supports abortion rights and has voted to continue federal funding to Planned Parenthood
Co-sponsored the bipartisan STATES Act to exempt individuals or corporations in compliance with state cannabis laws from federal enforcement
Proposed a child allowance with Senator Mitt Romney in December 2019
Supported construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and voted against a ban of hydraulic fracturing
Advocated for environmental policies including the Solar Manufacturing Jobs Creation Act and opposed the repeal of the Clean Power Plan
Co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act and expressed concerns over China’s influence on American media and academic institutions
Criticized the 2018–19 government shutdown and has an “F” grade from the NRA Political Victory Fund as of 2022
Voted in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and proposed “Medicare X” with Senator Tim Kaine as an alternative to “Medicare for All”
Cosponsored the DREAM Act and was a member of the Gang of Eight for comprehensive immigration reform
Supports same-sex marriage and is an original co-sponsor of the Equality Act
Married to Susan Diane Daggett with three daughters, acknowledges his Jewish roots, and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019