Bennet, Michael, 1964-

Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as U.S. Senator from Colorado since 2009.

Born in New Delhi, India and raised in Washington, D.C., he gradsuated from St. Albans School before earning a B.A. from Wesleyan University. After spending two years as an aide to Ohio Governor Richard Celeste, Bennet earned a J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school he served as a law clerk for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and as an associate to Washington, D.C. attorney Lloyd Cutler. He then served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General during the Bill Clinton administration. Following a stint as an assistant to the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, Bennet left the legal world and moved West, first to Montana before settling in Denver, Colorado, where he worked for six years in Denver as Managing Director for the Anschutz Investment Company. While working for Anschutz, Bennet befriended fellow Wesleyan alumnus John Hickenlooper, informally advising the latter's successful campaign for mayor of Denver. Moving back into public service, Bennet served for two years as Hickenlooper's Chief of Staff from 2003 to 2005.

Though he had no experience as a school administrator, the Denver Board of Education selected Bennet as superintendent of Denver Public Schools on June 27, 2005. Bennet collaborated with educators and community members to develop the Denver Plan, a commitment to increase student success by focusing on higher expectations, better professional learning opportunities for educators, and deeper engagement with the community and stakeholders. After being considered for U.S. Secretary of Education by incoming President Barack Obama, he was ultimately passed over. When sitting U.S. Senator Ken Salazar was named U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Cololrado Governor Bill Ritter named Bennet to succeed him. Bennet was elected to a full six-year term in 2010 and re-elected in 2016. He has announced that he would seek reelection to a third full term in 2022.

Since arriving in Washington, Bennet as emerged as an effective leader with a proven record of bringing people together to deliver results for working families. He was a member of the bipartisan "Gang of 8" -- four Democrats and four Republicans -- that introduced a bill to fix our broken immigration system in a way that boosts the economy, strengthens national security, and provides a tough but fair path to citizenship for millions undocumented immigrants. The Senate passed the bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. He has led the fight in Washington to create jobs, support middle-class families and grow our economy. He has successfully fought to end the big bank bailouts, introduced a bill to rein in spending and ensure Congress lives within its means, and led a bipartisan group of 64 senators calling for a comprehensive plan for deficit reduction.