Colorado’s Democratic Senator Michael Bennet made headlines on Friday night, October 28, when he faced GOP challenger Joe O’Dea in the final debate in Fort Collins. The debate was broadcasted on television as the incumbent senator called his challenger “a liar”.

The 57-year-old looked to be attempting to distance himself from US President Joe Biden, who has been experiencing a drag in his approval ratings in several Democratic candidates. He also tried to link his opposition with former US President Donald Trump, saying Joe O’Dea voted for him.

Also Read: Colorado Senate debate: Michael Bennet, Joe O’Dea spar on abortion, crime and inflation

Who is Senator Michael Bennet?

Michael Bennet is an American attorney, businessman and Democratic politician who is currently a Senator from Colorado since 2009. He was born on November 28, 1964, in New Delhi, India, to Douglas J Bennet and Susanne Christine Bennet.

His father was a state department official, who worked as an aide to several American politicians, including the United States ambassador to India, Chester Bowles, at the time of Michael’s birth. Meanwhile, his mother, who was a Polish immigrant to the United States as a Holocaust survivor, worked as a librarian.

Michael spent his childhood in Washington DC as his father worked as an aide to Vice President Hubert Humphrey. He suffered from dyslexia in his childhood, which forced him to hold back in second grade. He later enrolled at St Albans School and was a page on Capitol Hill.

Bennet pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wesleyan University, from where he graduated in 1987. He became a Juris Doctor from Yale in 1993.

Also Read: Elon Musk says Twitter is yet to make changes in its content moderation policies

Following his graduation, Bennet worked as an aide to Richard Celeste, the governor of Ohio at the time. After that, he worked as a law clerk at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Michael continued his career as a counsel to the Deputy Attorney General during Bill Clinton’s presidency but moved to the private sector soon after.

He worked extensively in the education sector later in his career, going on to become an advisor to former President Barack Obama on issues in the sector. He was later named by Colorado governor Bill Ritter to fill the vacant senate seat in the state in 2009.

Bennet is married to Susan Diane Daggett, an attorney, since October 26, 1997. They have three children and live in Denver.