Michael Bennet has served as a senator from Colorado since 2009. He previously served as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools.
Previous Work Around Poverty and Opportunity:
- As superintendent of Denver Public Schools he worked to close schools that were not performing academically, a position that generated some pushback.
- As senator he introduced the American Family Act, which would expand the Child Tax Credit and reduce the child poverty rate by one-third.
- Introduced Medicare X legislation along with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
On the Issues
Jobs: Has focused on rural jobs and emphasized addressing the impacts of globalization and unfair trade practices of China.
Affordable Housing: Has developed a proposal to reduce evictions through funding research to develop better data, increasing legal representation for tenants and catalyzing new state and local programs.
Health Care/Insurance: Strongly supports the Affordable Care Act. Opposes Medicare for All and instead has introduced Medicare X, which would allow Americans to buy insurance with reimbursement rates for doctors that is equivalent to Medicare.
Education: As senator, pushed for increased technology in schools. Believes in expansion of year-round Pell grants.
Criminal Justice: Sponsored First Step Act legislation, which focuses on rehabilitation and reentry into communities for formerly incarcerated individuals. Also supports the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Minimum Wage: Supports a $12 per hour minimum wage.
Safety Net: Has voiced support for raising the cap on Social Security and Medicare taxes to better fund the programs.
Children/Families: Cosigned a letter to President Trump asking the administration to reunite migrant families and has emphasized expanding financial supports for families with children.
Taxes/Tax Credits: Has pushed for a $300 per-month, per-child tax credit for families with children younger than 3 and $250 for children younger than 17.
News Articles:
“Michael Bennet is Running for President in 2020. Here’s Everything we Know About the Candidate and How He Stacks Up Against the Competition” (Business Insider: 5/31/19)
“Where Michael Bennet Stands on the Issues” (The New York Times: 5/2/19)