DENVER (CN) – Colorado Senator Michael Bennet announced Thursday that he is running for president, becoming the 21st Democrat to join a crowded field of candidates.
"There are 7,591 words in the Constitutions of the United States. The word 'politics' is not among then, that's because our nation's founders knew that politics and governing aren't the same thing, when campaigning never stops, governing never begins,” Bennet said in his announcement video.
When he broke the news to CBS, Bennet named economic mobility and government integrity among his priorities. In his campaign video, Bennet listed climate change, infrastructure, and health care among other problems.
Bennet’s announcement comes just days after he completed treatment for prostate cancer.
A self proclaimed “pragmatic idealist,” Bennet supports affordable and high quality health care over Medicare for All, and he believes the government should invest in education rather than implement free college tuition.
“You probably don't know me because I don't go on public news every night,” Bennet said in a campaign video. “I didn't set out to be a politician. My last job was superintendent of public schools, and I didn't go to Washington to get attention, I went to pay attention to what would help the people who sent me there make their lives better.”
Bennet’s father, Douglas Bennet, served as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs in the Carter administration and also served in the Clinton administration. Bennet grew up in Washington, D.C., graduated from Yale Law School and moved to Colorado in 1997. He worked under former President Bill Clinton and served as the chief of staff for John Hickenlooper when he was the mayor of Denver.
Hickenlooper – who also served two terms as governor – and Bennet are among 21 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.
Bennet attracted some national attention for criticizing Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz for supporting two federal government shutdowns.
Bennet’s younger brother, James, is the editorial page editor at the New York Times and recused himself from covering the 2020 campaign. According to a statement from the newspaper, Bennet “will not discuss, assign, or edit any editorials, Op-Eds, columns or other opinion pieces focused on candidates or major issues in the campaign."
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