Michael F. Bennet
DemocratU.S. Senator, CO| Age | 61 (b. 1964-11-28) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2009-01-22 (~17 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White; mother was a Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivor, father of Christian background |
| Religion | Bennet has described having two heritages, one Jewish (his mother) and one Christian (his father); he was not raised in an observant household and has said he believes in God. No specific denomination self-identified. |
| Education | B.A. in History, Wesleyan University (1987); J.D., Yale Law School (1993), where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal |
| Prior occupation | Attorney and business executive; aide to Ohio Governor Richard Celeste; law clerk on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals; counsel to the U.S. Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration; managing director at Anschutz Investment Company; chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (2003-2005); Superintendent of Denver Public Schools (2005-2009) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | New Delhi, India (foreign-born) |
| Marital status | Married — Susan Diane Daggett |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Denver, Colorado (Congress Park neighborhood) |
| Notable relatives | Father Douglas J. Bennet was a State Department official, USAID administrator under Carter, NPR president/CEO, and Assistant Secretary of State; brother James Bennet was editorial page editor of The New York Times and editor of The Atlantic; grandfather Douglas Bennet was an economic adviser in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2010 (appointed to the Senate January 2009 to fill Ken Salazar's seat; first won election in his own right in 2010) |
| Previous offices | Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Denver (2003-2005) · Superintendent of Denver Public Schools (2005-2009) |
| Committees | Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry · Senate Committee on Finance · Senate Committee on Rules and Administration · Senate Select Committee on Intelligence |
| Leadership | Chair, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (2013-2015) |
| Ideology | Generally rated a mainstream Democrat; American Conservative Union gave him a 6% lifetime conservative rating (2020); the Lugar Center ranked him in the top third of senators for bipartisanship (2023). |
| Signature legislation | Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act - protects over 400,000 acres of Colorado public land · American Family Act / expanded Child Tax Credit (basis for the 2021 American Rescue Plan one-year CTC expansion) · Member of the bipartisan 'Gang of Eight' on comprehensive immigration reform (2013) · Medicare X public option proposal (with Tim Kaine) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $7,058,032–$26,647,000 (2023) · estimate
| Canyon Balanced Fund LP (hedge fund, Canyon Capital Advisors) | fund · $1,000,001–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Charles Schwab Bank / Schwab Value Advantage Money Market (SNAXX) | fund · $1,000,001–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) | fund · –$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Eaton Vance Stock Fund A (EAERX) | fund · –$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Vanguard Target Retirement 2030 (VTHRX) | fund · –$1,000,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: League of Conservation Voters (PAC/employees) ($340,000 (career)) · The Blackstone Group (employees/PAC) ($176,000 (career)) · Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (law firm, employees/PAC) ($176,000 (career))
Top industries: Securities & Investment · Lawyers/Law Firms · Education
Scandals & crimes ledger
pending — Colorado Elections Division Campaign Finance Investigation — Illegal Use of Senate Funds for Gubernatorial Campaign
Starting in September 2025, multiple campaign finance complaints were filed against Sen. Michael Bennet alleging his U.S. Senate campaign committee (Bennet for Colorado) improperly paid travel and other expenses for his 2026 Colorado gubernatorial campaign, constituting illegal in-kind contributions under state law. The Colorado Secretary of State's Elections Division consolidated the complaints, formally amended the complaint itself to note the noncompliance, and determined that the campaign 'failed to substantially comply' with disclosure obligations. The campaign admitted the improper payments (approx. $17,387 and $7,054) and repaid them to the Senate committee in September 2025. A further issue arose in June 2026 when TV ads for his gubernatorial campaign bore disclaimers stating his Senate committee paid for them. A formal hearing is scheduled for July 28, 2026; no final adjudication or monetary penalty had been imposed as of June 20, 2026.