{"id":94257,"date":"2019-05-02T18:03:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T00:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/political-watchers-intrigued-by-sen-michael-bennets-presidential-run\/"},"modified":"2019-05-02T18:03:14","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T00:03:14","slug":"political-watchers-intrigued-by-sen-michael-bennets-presidential-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/political-watchers-intrigued-by-sen-michael-bennets-presidential-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Political watchers intrigued by Sen. Michael Bennet\u2019s presidential run"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=b4dd307c-5ae4-4a2c-a8d1-538f2b68f90e&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=b4dd307c-5ae4-4a2c-a8d1-538f2b68f90e&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=b4dd307c-5ae4-4a2c-a8d1-538f2b68f90e&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=b4dd307c-5ae4-4a2c-a8d1-538f2b68f90e&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1379\" alt=\"Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., celebrates with his wife and children at an election party after winning the Democratic primary in August 2010. The two-term senator announced Thursday he plans to run for president of the United States.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., celebrates with his wife and children at an election party after winning the Democratic primary in August 2010. The two-term senator announced Thursday he plans to run for president of the United States.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Associated Press file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>WASHINGTON \u2013 The moderate Colorado senator, self-styled as a \u201cpragmatic realist,\u201d stepped into the glare of the national stage Thursday when he announced his candidacy for president.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Michael Bennet became the 21st Democratic candidate to join the race after his announcement on the \u201cCBS This Morning\u201d program. Bennet, 54, was <a href=\"https:\/\/durangoherald.com\/articles\/271155-michael-bennet-hits-pause-on-presidential-bid-until-cancerfree\">diagnosed with prostate cancer<\/a> earlier this year but confirmed in April he would still run for president if his surgery was successful. Almost two weeks after his clean bill of health, the senator formally announced his intentions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo my plan is to run for president,\u201d Bennet said on the show.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HEvjzauKeO4\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The senator, who has represented Colorado for 10 years, emphasized his history of bipartisanship and his ability to win tough elections in the \u201cpurple\u201d state. According to Bennet, these traits would help him in a larger presidential race.<\/p>\n<p>Brad Clark, professor of American politics at Fort Lewis College, agrees Bennet\u2019s bipartisanship could benefit his campaign. \u201cHe has won every political race he\u2019s entered. That in some way sets him apart,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image naviga-align-left alignleft\" data-naviga-align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=14f94a78-e211-4f55-855d-c61c59cd1c50&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=14f94a78-e211-4f55-855d-c61c59cd1c50&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=14f94a78-e211-4f55-855d-c61c59cd1c50&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=14f94a78-e211-4f55-855d-c61c59cd1c50&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" width=\"1150\" height=\"1457\" alt=\"Bennet\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Bennet<\/span><span class=\"credit\">du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Bennet\u2019s announcement is a pleasing addition to the \u201cplethora of great candidates running in 2020,\u201d said Carol Cure, chairwoman of the La Plata County Democratic Party. \u201cI think his whole reason for being in public service is that he wants to make Colorado and our country a better place for every person,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Distinguishing his campaign from a field of 20 other candidates will be one of Bennet\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine how anyone can stand out,\u201d said Paul DeBell, professor of political psychology at FLC. \u201cHe\u2019s not someone who has a lot of name recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although Bennet has had a few \u201cviral moments,\u201d he has kept a relatively low profile during his time as a senator, Clark said. Instead, the former Denver school superintendent has focused on the particulars of legislation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s what they would call a policy wonk,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n<p>Bennet\u2019s \u201cwonk\u201d characteristics and his interest in understanding the intricacies of policy can be seen in his proposed legislation, like Medicare X and the Child Tax Credit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was particularly impressed when he reached out to our office to better understand our research analysis,\u201d said Scott Wasserman, president of The Bell Policy Center, a nonprofit focused on economic mobility in Colorado. Wasserman\u2019s office consulted on the senator\u2019s proposed legislation for the child tax credit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt showed Sen. Bennet is focusing on the right levers when it comes to creating economic mobility,\u201d Wasserman said. \u201cThis is a guy who is going to talk about potentially obscure politics that could fix the economic problems people are facing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his announcement interview, Bennet seemed confident he could differentiate himself from the pack of candidates because, in part, he will be honest with the voters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a tendency to tell the truth to the people I represent in Colorado,\u201d Bennet said. \u201cI want the chance to do that with the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not only is Bennet joining an already-crowded primary field, but he is also the second Coloradan to announce, after former governor John Hickenlooper. This could further hinder his campaign, Clark said.<\/p>\n<p>Bennet, who previously served as Hickenlooper\u2019s chief of staff, will have to compete against him for Colorado votes and funding sources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re both considered to be pretty moderate or centrist Democrats,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThere\u2019s not a whole lot of difference between them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For many voters, it might come down to who they think can best beat President Donald Trump, DeBell said. \u201cThey really want to rally behind someone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But in his interview with \u201cCBS This Morning,\u201d Bennet was careful to frame his campaign as more than a challenge to the current president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about President Trump,\u201d the senator said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the politics that existed before he got there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Signs of Bennet\u2019s potential appeal across party lines can be found in his two Senate races in 2010 and 2016. The former Denver school superintendent has won a state that is almost equal parts Republican, Democratic and independent. He won his first election during the high tide of the Tea Party, when other Democrats lost their seats. In 2016, Bennet won parts of the state that Hillary Clinton lost.<\/p>\n<p>Bennet\u2019s national announcement may have accomplished part of his goal. \u201cIt does nothing but elevate his profile on the national stage,\u201d Clark said. \u201cBecause he is such a policy wonk, he might see this as a way to raise the issues he cares about.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hLy4E3i0y7E\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Bennet\u2019s official announcement video, complete with references to his child tax credit, Medicaid plan and education background, is typical of any campaign. Yet, as much as the video heralds the start of \u201cBennet for America,\u201d throughout the video the senator is often framed by the snow-capped mountains of the Rockies and the high plains of Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt says something to me that we have two leaders coming out of our state,\u201d Wasserman said. \u201cIt\u2019s because Colorado is a microcosm of what\u2019s happening in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em class=\"mwc_shirttail\">Liz Weber is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colorado \u2018policy wonk\u2019 will struggle with name recognition, but can bridge two parties<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[1167,25],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-94257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-exclude-homepage-video","tag-u-s-sen-michael-bennet"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94257"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=94257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}