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Bennet received endorsements from President [[Barack Obama]], U.S. Senator [[Mark Udall]], and U.S. Representatives [[Betsy Markey]], [[Jared Polis]], and [[John Salazar]] of the Colorado congressional delegation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Riley |first=Michael |url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13325723 |title=Rival Colorado Democrats play game of one-upmanship |publisher=The Denver Post |date=2009-09-13 |accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref>
Bennet received endorsements from President [[Barack Obama]], U.S. Senator [[Mark Udall]], and U.S. Representatives [[Betsy Markey]], [[Jared Polis]], and [[John Salazar]] of the Colorado congressional delegation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Riley |first=Michael |url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13325723 |title=Rival Colorado Democrats play game of one-upmanship |publisher=The Denver Post |date=2009-09-13 |accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref>


On August 10, 2010, Bennet defeated Romanoff in the [[primary election|primary]] and won his party's nomination,<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown |first=Jennifer |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15735379 |title=Bennet Wins, Buck Leads |publisher=The Denver Post |date=2010-08-10 |accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref> facing Republican candidate [[Ken Buck]]. The campaign became one of the most expensive in the country, with the candidates spending a reported $15 million combined, and outside groups another $30 million. Bennet portrayed Buck as an extremist conservative on issues such as [[abortion]] and [[direct election]] of Senators, while Buck and the groups supporting him characterized Bennet as a big-spending liberal.<ref>{{cite news | first = Jeff | last = Brady | title = Money Has Poured Into Colorado's Senate Race | date = 2010-10-27 | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130864318 | work = NPR | accessdate = 2010-10-29}}</ref>
On August 10, 2010, Bennet defeated Romanoff in the [[primary election|primary]] and won his party's nomination,<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown |first=Jennifer |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15735379 |title=Bennet Wins, Buck Leads |publisher=The Denver Post |date=2010-08-10 |accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref> facing Republican candidate [[Ken Buck]]. The campaign became one of the most expensive in the country, with the candidates spending a reported $15 million combined, and outside groups another $30 million. Bennet portrayed Buck as an extremist conservative opposed to [[abortion]] and [[direct election]] of Senators, while Buck and the groups supporting him characterized Bennet as a big-spending liberal.<ref>{{cite news | first = Jeff | last = Brady | title = Money Has Poured Into Colorado's Senate Race | date = 2010-10-27 | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130864318 | work = NPR | accessdate = 2010-10-29}}</ref>


On November 3, the day after polls closed, Bennet was declared the winner, and Buck conceded. Bennet will return to Washington to start a full six-year term.
On November 3, the day after polls closed, Bennet was declared the winner, and Buck conceded. Bennet will return to Washington to start a full six-year term.

Revision as of 17:47, 28 November 2010

This article is about the U.S. Senator. For the director, see Michael Bennett. For other uses, see Michael Bennett (disambiguation).
Michael Bennet
United States Senator
from Colorado
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 21, 2009
Serving with Mark Udall
Preceded byKen Salazar
Superintendent of Denver Public Schools
In office
July 1, 2005 – January 21, 2009
Preceded byJerome Wartgow
Succeeded byTom Boasberg
Personal details
Born (1964-11-28) November 28, 1964 (age 59)
New Delhi, India
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSusan Daggett
ChildrenCaroline, Halina, Anne[1]
Residence(s)Denver, Colorado
Alma materWesleyan University (B.A.)
Yale University (J.D.)
Occupationpolitical assistant, college administrator, media executive, U.S. Senator

Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American businessman, lawyer and politician. He is currently the junior United States Senator from Colorado, and a member of the Democratic Party. Bennet was appointed by Governor Bill Ritter to fill the seat vacated by Ken Salazar when Salazar became the United States Secretary of the Interior. Bennet narrowly won the 2010 Senate election against Republican Ken Buck and will serve his first full six-year term.[2]

Early life, family, and education

He was born in New Delhi while his father, Douglas J. Bennet, was serving as an aide to Chester Bowles, then the U.S. ambassador to India.[3] The elder Bennet ran the United States Agency for International Development under President Jimmy Carter,[4] served as President and CEO of National Public Radio (1983–1993), Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs in the Clinton Administration (1993–1995), and President of Wesleyan University (1995–2007). His grandfather, Douglas Bennet, had been an economic adviser in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration.[4] His grandmother, Phoebe Bennet née Benedict, is a direct-line descendant of Edward Fuller, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean from England to Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower in 1620.[5]

Bennet's mother, Susanne Bennet née Klejman, immigrated to the United States with her family in 1950. Her parents were Polish Jews and survived imprisonment in the Warsaw Ghetto.[3] Bennet's mother is a retired school librarian who teaches English as a second language for a Washington nonprofit,[6] and is also an art historian specializing in Roman antiquities.[7] She is fluent in English, Polish, Swedish and Spanish.[3]

His brother, James Bennet, is editor of The Atlantic and a former correspondent of The New York Times.[7]

He grew up in Washington, D.C. as his father served as an aide to Vice President Hubert Humphrey, among others. Bennet was held back in second grade because of his struggle with dyslexia.[3][8][9] He was enrolled at St. Albans School, an all-boys preparatory school, and served as a page on Capitol Hill.[10]

On October 26, 1997, he married Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund attorney Susan Daggett in Marianna, Arkansas.[11] They have three daughters and reside in Denver's Congress Park neighborhood.[12]

Bennet earned his bachelor's degree in history with honors from Wesleyan University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, and his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal.[13]

Though neither of his parents were religiously observant, Bennet has stated that he was "raised with two different heritages, one [that] was Jewish and one [that] was Christian," and that he believes in God.[3]

Career

From 1988 until 1990, when he left to attend Yale, he served as an aide to Ohio Governor Richard Celeste. After law school he served as a law clerk for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.[14] He then served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General during Bill Clinton's administration.[15] His father, Douglas J. Bennet, worked in the Clinton White House as well, as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

Bennet then entered the business world, working for six years in Denver as Managing Director for the Anschutz Investment Company where he had direct responsibility for the investment of over $500 million. He led the reorganizations of four distressed companies, including Forcenergy (which later merged with Denver-based Forest Oil), Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards Theaters, which together required the restructuring of over $3 billion in debt. Bennet also managed, on behalf of Anschutz, the consolidation of the three theater chains into Regal Entertainment Group, the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world.[15]

Moving back into public service, Bennet served for two years as the Chief of Staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Highlights of his accomplishments at the city include: closing an initial 10-percent budget gap in the first two months of office; balancing two consecutive budgets in Denver's worst recession in history while preserving city services; conducting five collective-bargaining negotiations; devising strategies to pass five ballot initiatives; and assembling a very diverse, widely acknowledged leadership team for the city.[15]

Bennet was appointed superintendent of Denver Public Schools on June 27, 2005, taking office on the following July 1. During his tenure, he revised a merit pay proposal that earned the support of local teachers[16] and he was initially opposed to closing the failing Manual High School,[17][failed verification] which was later reopened.

Bennet was among the many officials whose names were circulated for United States Secretary of Education in the Obama Administration, which was eventually filled by Arne Duncan.[18] Bennet and his wife were early supporters of Barack Obama's presidential bid during the 2008 Democratic primaries[19] and he was among those who advised Barack Obama on education issues.[20]

U.S. Senator

On January 3, 2009, he was named by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to fill the seat in the United States Senate vacated by United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on January 20.[14] Since taking office on January 21, 2009, he had stated that he would seek election at the end of his term in 2010.[17][failed verification]

Committee assignments

Bills and policy positions

Healthcare reform

Bennet voted in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. In November 2009, when the bill was still working its way through Congress, Bennet stated, during a CNN interview, that he would support health care reform even if it meant losing the election.[citation needed] In his speeches on the floor, Bennet emphasized reports by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office to argue that a vote for health care reform is fiscally responsible.

Immigration

Bennet has been a strong supporter of immigration reform. In September 2009, Bennet cosponsored the DREAM Act (S. 729), which proposed amending the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 by giving residency to aliens enrolled in higher education programs or serving in the military. Bennet has also stated that the country is in need of comprehensive immigration reform and that even bills like DREAM will not be adequate to solve US immigration problems.

Fiscal policy and financial regulation

In February 2009, Bennet voted for the $787 billion stimulus package. In August 2009, Bennet sponsored a bill which placed spending caps on the federal government. Bennet is also a cosponsor, and outspoken supporter of the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO, S.1600) Act, which would require Congressional proposals which requires spending to state in detail where the funds come from. Bennet has also been a strong supporter of financial regulatory reform, stating that he believes such reform is necessary to America’s future economic well-being, and that the proposed legislation recently unveiled by Senator Chris Dodd’s Banking Committee (of which Bennet is also a member) is a “strong start”.

Alternative energy

In December 2009, Bennet cosigned a letter to Obama and Senate majority leader Harry Reid urging them to consider supporting the Solar Manufacturing Jobs Creation Act (S.2755). The letter, signed by the bill’s sponsor and cosponsors, explained that this bill could create as many as 10,000 new jobs. The letter further stated concern that China and other countries are passing the US in production of alternative energy, and that this bill would provide an opportunity to reduce that trend.

2010 U.S. Senate election

Main article: United States Senate election in Colorado, 2010

Bennet ran for re-election as Senator from Colorado in the 2010 election.[17][failed verification] On September 16, 2009, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff announced his campaign to challenge Bennet for the Democratic nomination.[21] Bennet received endorsements from President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, and U.S. Representatives Betsy Markey, Jared Polis, and John Salazar of the Colorado congressional delegation.[22]

On August 10, 2010, Bennet defeated Romanoff in the primary and won his party's nomination,[23] facing Republican candidate Ken Buck. The campaign became one of the most expensive in the country, with the candidates spending a reported $15 million combined, and outside groups another $30 million. Bennet portrayed Buck as an extremist conservative opposed to abortion and direct election of Senators, while Buck and the groups supporting him characterized Bennet as a big-spending liberal.[24]

On November 3, the day after polls closed, Bennet was declared the winner, and Buck conceded. Bennet will return to Washington to start a full six-year term.

References

  1. ^ Senator Michael Bennet - Biography Project Vote Smart.
  2. ^ http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kunc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1721330/Regional/Buck.Concedes.Colorado.Senate.Race
  3. ^ a b c d e Mitchell, Nancy (January 24, 2009). "Bennet's tale steeped in family roots". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved January 30, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b Boo, Katherine (January 15, 2007). "Expectations - Can the students who became a symbol of failed reform be rescued?". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  5. ^ Ancestry of Michael Bennet, retrieved April 27, 2009
  6. ^ Mitchell, Nancy (January 3, 2009). "Heading back to the Beltway". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Phillips, Kate (January 2, 2009). "Denver Schools Chief Said to Replace Salazar in Senate". New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  8. ^ Mitchell, Nancy (January 9, 2009). "One finalist enough for DPS board". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  9. ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Michael Bennet - US News and World Report". Usnews.com. June 14, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  10. ^ Vaughan, Kevin (November 29, 2008). "Michael Bennet followed his heart to the mayor's office". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  11. ^ "WEDDINGS; Susan Daggett, Michael Bennet". New York Times. October 26, 1997. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  12. ^ Osher, Christopher N. (December 16, 2008). "Sources: Salazar accepts Interior post". Denver Post. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  13. ^ "The Yale Law Journal masthead" (PDF). The Yale Law Journal. January 1993. Retrieved November 1, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ^ a b "Official press release from Governor Bill Ritter on appointment of Michael Bennet". Colorado.gov. January 3, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  15. ^ a b c "Michael F. Bennet Biography". Denver Public Schools Communications Office.
  16. ^ Bowers, Chris (January 2, 2009). "NY-Sen, CO-Sen: Kennedy and Bennet Reported As Appointees". Open Left.
  17. ^ a b c Crummy, Karen (January 2, 2009). "Ritter taps Bennet as senator". Denver Post. Retrieved January 2, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "post" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Bennet confirms he won't be Obama's education secretary". Denver Post. December 15, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  19. ^ "Obama visits Denver". Rocky Mountain News. January 30, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  20. ^ Wyatt, Kirsten (January 6, 2009). "Colo.'s new senator relatively unknown to voters". Associated Press. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
  21. ^ "Sources: Romanoff launches Senate bid: "Colorado is my cause"". Denver Post. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
  22. ^ Riley, Michael (September 13, 2009). "Rival Colorado Democrats play game of one-upmanship". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  23. ^ Brown, Jennifer (August 10, 2010). "Bennet Wins, Buck Leads". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  24. ^ Brady, Jeff (October 27, 2010). "Money Has Poured Into Colorado's Senate Race". NPR. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
Educational offices
Preceded by Superintendent of Denver Public Schools
2005–2009 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 3) from Colorado
January 21, 2009 – present
Served alongside: Mark Udall 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Colorado (Class 3)
2010 		Succeeded by
Current nominee
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Senators by seniority
94th 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Youngest Member of the United States Senate
January 22, 2009 – January 27, 2009 		Succeeded by

Template:Use ymd dates

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