'I'm looking forward to running in 2020': Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet says he's campaigning for president despite his prostate cancer diagnosis
- Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said he is looking forward to running for president in the coming year despite his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer
- 'I'm looking forward to running in 2020. This obviously was unexpected. But we caught it early. It's something that I think we're going to be able to treat. And I don't think it should keep me off the trail,' he told CNN
- The senator from Colorado announced last week he has prostate cancer
- He will undergo surgery in his home state in the coming congressional recess
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said on Sunday he is looking forward to running for president in the coming year despite his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer.
'I have got to go through a procedure at the beginning of the upcoming recess. That starts later this week,' he told CNN's 'State of the Union. 'And then it's going to be a couple of weeks for recovery. But I would like to get on with this.'
'I'm looking forward to running in 2020. This obviously was unexpected. But we caught it early. It's something that I think we're going to be able to treat. And I don't think it should keep me off the trail,' he added in an appearance from New Hampshire, the first state to hold a presidential primary.
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said he is looking forward to running for president in the coming year despite his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer
Sen. Bennet will undergo surgery in his home state in the coming congressional recess
Bennet, considered a long shot bid for the Democratic nomination, announced last Wednesday he would undergo surgery for prostate cancer during the upcoming legislative break.
'Late last month, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. While hearing news like this is never easy, I am fortunate it was detected early, and as a result, my prognosis is good,' Bennet said in a statement released by his office.
'During the upcoming Senate recess, I will have surgery in Colorado and return to work following a brief recovery,' the Democrat from Colorado noted.
The Senate goes on recess starting the week of April 15.
Bennet vowed not to let his diagnosis interfere with his presidential plans.
The competition for the right to take on President Donald Trump is fierce, however,
Already more than a dozen candidates have jumped into the race, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
And others, including former Vice President Joe Biden, are reported to be making preparations to join the competition.
Bennet said Biden shouldn't joke about the accusations against him from women, who said they were made uncomfortable by his hugs and kisses.
'Well, I don't think anybody should make jokes about it,' the senator told CNN. 'I think this is a really important time in our country's history, when women are coming forward and able to say when they have been made to feel uncomfortable, whether in a sexual way or a non-sexual way. And people's voices should be heard on that. I think, on the question of whether it's disqualifying or not, that's up for the voters in a Democratic primary and in a general election to decide. But I do think people shouldn't make jokes or make light of it.'
Biden cracked jokes about his handsy reputation as he addressed union workers on Friday.
The former vice president took the stage to address the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and promptly shook hands and back-patted union president Lonnie Stephenson Friday.
'I just want you to know I had permission to hug Lonny,' Biden quipped, to laughs from the crowd of several hundred electrical workers.
Bennet, 54, came to national attention earlier this year when he issued a stinging rebuke to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz during the government shutdown.
He slammed his fellow senator in January after Cruz backed a GOP bill to pay Coast Guard members but not reopen the government.
'These crocodile tears that the senator from Texas is crying for first responders are too hard for me to take,' he erupted.
He also pointed out Cruz single-handedly shut down the government in 2013, at a time when Colorado was flooded.
His voice rising to a shout, Bennet said eight people were killed and many homes and businesses destroyed because of the flooding.
'And because of the senator from Texas, this government was shut down for politics,' delaying relief efforts, Bennet said.
Bennet would join his fellow senators Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar in the crowded and competitive race.
He would be considered a long shot for winning the nomination.
Bennet has represented Colorado for 10 years. His brother, James, runs the New York Times editorial page.
Vice President Joe Biden made two quips about the controversy involving his penchant for touching people during a speech to electrical workers in Washington on Friday
Bennet came to national attention earlier this year when he issued a stinging rebuke to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz during the government shutdown
His father, Douglas Bennet, is a former State Department official and president of Wesleyan University. Bennet was born in New Delhi when his father was serving as an aide to the ambassador there.
Bennet became superintendent of the Denver public school system in July 2005 and was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Ken Salazar when Salazar became Secretary of the Interior in January 2009.
He has called for stricter gun control laws and supports same-sex marriage. He proposed a 'Medicare X' law that would create a public health care option modeled after Medicare alongside private options on the ObamaCare marketplaces.
He is a co-sponsor of the Dream Act, which would give residency to immigrants enrolled in higher education programs or serving in the military.
He was one of a few Democrats to support construction of the Keystone Pipeline.
He and his wife Susan have three daughters.
Bennet defended his Medicare X proposal over Medicare for all, which the liberal wing of the party - including his 2020 competition Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - are promoting.
'They may want both, depending on who you're talking to. I think about it in terms of what Colorado families want. And what Colorado families want is maximal choice for themselves and their families. They want to have a robust, strong public option, because not all of them want to be subject to private insurance,' he told CNN.
He noted his proposal 'does create the robust public option we should have passed as part of the Affordable Care Act, and we didn't. And I think it will wear well on the primary campaign for the Democratic nomination. And I think it's going to be the obvious place for us to go to as we continue to work toward universal coverage in the United States of America.'
He also attacked Trump for doing 'every single thing he could do to take insurance away from people with a preexisting condition and take it away from tens of millions of Americans. Sometimes, people don't believe that's what he's done. It is what he's done.'
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