DENVER — Colorado is voting now and for the next week on who they want to be one of two U.S. senators for Colorado for the next six years. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
The two top-polling candidates are Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who has been a senator since 2009, and Republican Joe O’Dea, who is a Colorado businessman.
MORE: Election 2022: Voter guide to Colorado's top statewide and congressional races
Denver7’s Shannon Ogden sat down with both candidates to discuss the upcoming election, their policy positions and campaigns. The full interviews can be viewed and/or read below. At the bottom of this story (or in the player above), you can find our full 360 Election Special.
Sen. Michael Bennet (Democrat)
Shannon Ogden
All right, the first question is going to be in three parts. So is the infrastructure bill in any way responsible for this inflation? Second part, is there anything policy-wise or legislatively that can be done to get prices down? And third part, is there anything President Biden could have done to steer clear of this?
Michael Bennet
So I would say on the inflation front there, I don't think anybody's saying the infrastructure bill was part of this, it was paid for. And I was just down in Pueblo yesterday celebrating $60 million that's going to help us finish the, or begin to finish the, actually $60 million for the Arkansas Valley conduit, which is going to allow us to get that project going, finally — something that President Kennedy promised. So I think that is not a place where we can look to blame inflation. I believe that inflation has been caused by the recovery of an economy. We, the whole globe, you know, was in a recession at the same time.
That makes the COVID Depression very unusual. And we grew, we came back all at the same time, then the supply chains just couldn't handle it, the supply chains that we had outsourced, starting in the 1980s, when we were basically privileging people who wanted to make stuff as cheaply as possible in China over lots of other things, we could have privileged, like our own supply chains.
And so now I think what we have to do is fix those supply chains to deal with inflation. Bringing back the semiconductor industry is the first step in that direction. Ninety-five percent of this country's most important semiconductors, including the ones in our fighter jets, are made in Taiwan, 110 miles off the coast of mainland China. But I think there are other things we can bring back too.
And then from a legislative point of view, you know, we just passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which has measures in it to cap healthcare costs to, to cap drug prices for seniors at $2,000 a year for prescription drugs, to cap the price of insulin at $35. And for the first time in America, in history, to have Medicare, negotiate drug prices on behalf of the American people.
Shannon Ogden
So you think those things all will chip away?
Michael Bennet
I think those things will chip away. They're not going to chip away today, they're not going to do it immediately. But they are they are going to make a difference. And obviously, the Federal Reserve is taking an aggressive, that's not the legislature, but they're taking aggressive actions to try to get ahold of inflation.
Shannon Ogden
So this is just politically not personally, but politically. Why are you aligning yourself so closely with President Biden right now when a lot of other Democrats are not? Because it's not that popular at the moment, according to polls?
Michael Bennet
Well, if you're talking about the Camp Hale announcement…
Shannon Ogden
Well, in part, sure.
Michael Bennet
Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, I've worked on that for 10 years to honor the veterans of the 10th Mountain Division with a national monument. And I finally got the president in the White House to agree to do the National Monument. And to me, having him come out here was not a matter of politics. I'm well aware of his approval ratings. It was the right thing to do for our veterans, it was the right thing to do for for the people that have worked so hard on that public lands designation. So I'm glad he was here. Just like I was glad he was here after the tragedy of the Marshall Fire, when he came to try to comfort people who'd lost their homes in that disaster.
Shannon Ogden
Will you support him running again?
Michael Bennet
That's up to him. It really is up to him. I'm very happy that he ran for president last time because he was, it turns out, I think the only American out of 330 million people who could actually beat Donald Trump. And he did beat Donald Trump because more people turned out to vote during a plague, during the pandemic, than at any time in our country's history. And I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude for having done that. I'm not sure we could have survived another term of President Trump. And so he's going to have to make the decision for himself. He doesn’t need any advice from me.
Shannon Ogden
Would he be your choice to run?
Michael Bennet
If he decided to run, I think he would beat Donald Trump again, and I would support him.
Shannon Ogden
To Ukraine now, as we discussed before, you have supported our security assistance to them. Should there be a cap on how much we give Ukraine? And if so, where is where is that cap?
Michael Bennet
Oh, I think the last thing we should do is send a message to Vladimir Putin that there's a cap. That's the last thing we should do. I mean, it has been amazing to see free people around the world that live in democracies become so inspired by the courage the bravery of the Ukrainian people. And to demand more, demand more, demand more out of their elected leaders. And I think that's really gratifying to see. The United States, we put about $65 billion in this fight, $17 billion or so for national security assistance. And, and I think we should keep pushing and make sure that we hold this coalition together. The rest of the world needs us to lead at this moment. And this is an attack not just on Ukraine. It's an attack on the west. It's an attack on democracy. It’s an attack on NATO, and we need to, you know, it could become an attack on NATO, and we need to be resolute.
Shannon Ogden
Well, what about that? So you're, you're in your office in the door closed on the Hill, or you're at home quietly. Do you ever worry personally, that our aid to Ukraine is going to escalate this thing further, bigger?
Michael Bennet
I don't worry that our aid to do it is going to do that, if we are, you know, judicious about what we're doing. There were a lot of people early on, who were saying, ‘Send them fighter jets, send them fighter jets.’ And you know, that that was viewed by some of us as escalatory in a way that could have created a huge risk. When you're dealing with Vladimir Putin, that risk exists every single day, and we need to be conscious of that, cognizant of it. That's why it's very important for our administration and our Joint Chiefs of Staff at DOD, to keep a line open every single day, all day with the Russians. And that's what we're doing.
Shannon Ogden
You've got two terms behind you now. Just name one thing and point to one thing, an achievement of yours in the Senate that you go, ‘Yeah, that's what I'm most proud of.’
Michael Bennet
I would say cutting childhood poverty almost in half last year. Reducing hunger by 25% as a result of the passage of my American Family Act, which is the Enhanced Child Tax Credit. That's one thing, I'd say.
Shannon Ogden
Very good. And this is I don't mean this as a funny question. It might sound a little funny. But I think a lot of people who are not holding elective office probably ask themselves this every day. Why do you want to voluntarily be in national politics now? This is, it's crazy town right now, there's no agreement on who won an election. Two and two doesn't necessarily equal four. So why do you want to voluntarily be part of that conversation?
Michael Bennet
I think that we need good people now more than ever, Shannon, and I really believe that, you know. And I feel very fortunate to spend my life outside of politics. You know, I was in business, and I was the superintendent of the Denver Public Schools. I think that gives me a unique perspective when I'm working in a place where people have spent their entire lives running for political office, I've got a different point of view.
More importantly than that, I believe our democracy is at real risk. And the reason, among other things, it's at real risk, is that we've had an economy for 50 years that's worked really well for the top 10% of Americans. But it hasn't worked really well for nine out of 10, including people in Colorado who can't afford housing or health care, higher education, or early childhood education. And when that happens, in a society, sometimes someone shows up and says, I alone can fix it, you don't need a democracy, you don't need the rule of law, you should expect your public sector and your private sector to be hopelessly corrupt. And that's the dark vision Donald Trump won on, and I don't agree with that.
You know, I believe in democracy, I believe that humans are meant to live in democracy, are meant to or thrive in democracy. And unfortunately, most humans have not had the chance to ever live in something as precious as American democracy is, and I feel like whether I'm a senator, or whether I'm, you know, a civilian, for the rest of my life, this is going to be a project I'm going to continue to work on. And I encourage everybody to work on it too. Because it takes all of us, you know, to do this. If you leave it to the politicians, nothing's gonna get done. And let me say this, also, the more corrupt you think the system is, the more you should go out and vote, the more you should make sure your voice is heard. And we need all hands on deck right now. And that's why I'm running again.
Shannon Ogden
You were in the Senate chamber on January 6. You saw, you heard, you smelled all the… So what do you say to people? Some of your constituents, some of your fellow members of Congress who say, ‘They were tourists, they were walking through the building, they were tourists. They were Antifa posing as Trump supporters. Or do you ever anymore? Are you ever at a point where you're conversing with such people?
Michael Bennet
Oh, I converse with such people from time to time. Yes, I mean, what I say is that's just not true. You know, you have my opponent, for example, in this race is saying that Donald Trump bears no responsibility for what happened on January 6th. I mean, that defies all reason. You know, when you look at the what the, what the House Oversight Committee has demonstrated about his involvement in this. And for me, to have seen my fellow citizens, attack our Capitol, invade our Capitol, waving racist flags — make no mistake about it, that's what it was. Having anti-Semitic T-shirts on.
You know, what I was thinking about was my mom and her parents who survived the Holocaust in Warsaw. They were Polish Jews, whose whole family was killed except for them. And they finally managed to get to the one country in the world where they could rebuild their shattered lives, the United States of America. And what I was thinking about when I was watching those images, just like you were watching those images, because they took us off the floor, you know, to put us somewhere else, was how heartbreaking it would be, for people, in some sense, similarly situated to my family, who were, who are subjected to violence, who are subjected to corruption, who have no right to vote, who have no independent press, who have no democratic institutions, what it would mean for them to see the United States Capitol invaded in that way? Something unimaginable, when, you know, I was growing up. And you saw it in other countries, but you didn't see it here in the United States.
And then, of course, the second thought I had was, what's Russia going to do with this? What's China going to do with this? What's Iran gonna do with this? And every single time she sits down to negotiate with us, or negotiate with some other country, he says, ‘That's a failed experiment. They might have been good in the 20th century. They're not good in the 21st century.’ So I think we need to pull together as a nation and begin to prosecute the things we have to get done for our kids and our grandkids. You know, a better health care system that doesn't cost twice as much as any other industrialized country in the world, an immigration system that can actually support our economy, an education system that, you know, ensures that every kid has graduated from high school does so with the skills to earn a living wage, not just the minimum wage. There’s plenty of things we have to do.
Shannon Ogden
Again, with your — No, I won't say fellow members of Congress — but with constituents that you come across, who believe the election was stolen. What is a United States Senator’s counter argument to that? Because I know it makes me nuts.
Michael Bennet
Well, my counter argument is that, first of all, it's not true that it was stolen, that it would be helpful. You know, you mentioned January 6, what I said to Ted Cruz, and those guys on the floor that night, who are saying that somehow we were disrespecting the will of Donald Trump's voters by certifying the election. That's literally what he was saying. And I went down to the floor, and I said, ‘You guys are the ones disrespecting your own voters and Donald Trump's voters, because you won't tell them the truth. And you kno, better.’ You know, and I think most people believe it. There's some people you're never going to be able to convince them of anything. But I think most people believe that Biden won the election and they want to move on to try to address the challenges that they're facing in their lives with gas at $3.70 and all the rest of the stuff that we're dealing with.
Shannon Ogden
And not to harp on this. I'm sorry, we're going on and on about this. I just think about in this time right now, someone in your position, having to deal with that as part of your reality. Off the record with some of these people who in public are election deniers, do you think they go, ‘Oh, Senator, I know that’s a crock?’
Michael Bennet
The politicians? Oh, most of them know. Most of them know.
Shannon Ogden
They're like, this is what I'm doing because I want to win most primary.
Michael Bennet
Yeah, exactly.
Shannon Ogden
Is that reality?
Michael Bennet
They absolutely know. With very few exceptions of the total, you know, out on the fringe. They absolutely know that Trump lost this election. Donald Trump knows he lost the election. We now know that, you know, from the work that the House Committee has done, we have Donald Trump saying, ‘I'm embarrassed that I lost, we can admit that I lost.’ So our kids deserve a lot better than this, you know, and our grandkids deserve a lot better than this, too. And I think I think we're going to overcome this poison in our political system.
Shannon Ogden
All right. Last thing, Senator told you it’d be quick. So you mentioned your brief run for president. What did you learn during that during that time, because I was thinking a lot about this. It's hard enough, I would imagine, to run for a statewide office. But the country must suddenly feel so big when you're out there running for a national office.
Michael Bennet
Well, I didn't get to that much of the country. So, you know, but I did. I mean, I did get to I did get to Iowa, I did get to New Hampshire. You know, I I'm proud of the policy agenda that I ran on, because I think that's the agenda we need to move this country forward. And by the way, it was an agenda that I knew I was going to have the opportunity to talk about when I was running for re-election for my seat in Colorado and wanted to be able to know that in red parts of the state, I could defend what I was running on. And in blue parts of the state. And to this day, I believe that.
I learned that the country is basically where Colorado is. I don't think the country is where Donald Trump is. But we can't take any of these elections for granted. You know, and my conclusion from running for president, running, you know, seeing Donald Trump elected in 2016. And being there at the Capitol on the 6th is — I used to hear politicians say all the time, this is the most important election of your lifetime. My conclusion is every election between now and when we expire is the most important election of our lifetime. And we have to treat it that way. You know, that may sound self-interested, because I'm on the ballot, and I understand that, but I believe this. And we got to show up for the democracy. We have to show up for our kids.
Shannon Ogden
Would you run again?
Michael Bennet
For?
Shannon Ogden
President?
Michael Bennet
Oh, let me talk to you sometime after this is over. But this campaign is what I've been focused on. And I think we're gonna have a good day on Election Day.
Shannon Ogden
All right, Senator Bennett. Thank you very much.
Michael Bennet
Thanks for having me. Thank you.
Joe O’Dea (Republican)
Shannon Ogden
Very good. All right, Mr. O’Dea, you ready? Thank you sincerely for coming in. I do appreciate your time. Great to be with you. I would never start with this question, but we need to get to it. Let's start with Trump. Were you surprised that he went after you?
Joe O’Dea
Look, I'm not a career politician. I know I said what I said. We built a huge coalition here in Colorado and they're behind my campaign. There's great Trump supporters. There's great GOP, independents, Democrats. They're with us and they're talking about Joe Biden and his failures.
Shannon Ogden (after O'Dea's mic is turned on)
So what about that? I'll ask in two questions. Two parts,actually. Were you surprised he went after you? And how does it feel to have that bully spotlight shined on you?
Joe O’Dea
Well, I'm not a politician. I'm a contractor. I said what I said. But we built a huge coalition here in Colorado. It's good Trump supporters, GOP Republicans, it's independents, it's disgruntled Democrats. They're excited about this race because I present a change. And right now, what people are talking about are the failed policies of the Biden and Bennet regime that are crushing working Americans. They’re talking about inflation, talking about cost of gas. They're talking about record crime here in Colorado. That's what people are focused on.
Shannon Ogden
And I know that some faction of Trump supporters can be very enthusiastic. So have you had any problems from any of them after he tweeted that out?
Joe O’Dea
All I can tell you is when people start talking about inflation that's eating this up here in Colorado, working Americans is who I'll be the voice for. And when I'm talking to them about those issues that are affecting their lives right now, they're having to make tough decisions whether or not they heat their home or they put food on the table. Those are the things that working Americans are talking about right now. And that's why this campaign is going to be successful on November 8th.
Shannon Ogden
So it's not bothering you?
Joe O’Dea
Nothing bothers me. I got my head down. I'm a contractor. I'm not a politician. We're focused on getting across the finish line here in November.
Shannon Ogden
So it doesn't matter why, if you just could somehow. So just go with me here. If you just could, what are three things you would change in or about the federal government? Either policies, size, loss, enact, or get rid of that you could just go, ‘Yeah, I'm here. These are three things I want change.’
Joe O’Dea
Well, first off, we've got to cut back on the bureaucracies. They've been growing at an exponential rate for years. Second thing we've got to end is this war on American energy. We've got to get our energy policy back in line if we want to get ahead of inflation. And the third thing we need to do is we need to start working together on good policies that are good for Colorado. I'm going to reach across the aisle. Partisanship has got to stop. We need to start focusing on what's good for Colorado. And that's what I'll do as your next U.S. senator.
Shannon Ogden
Very good. You support abortion rights up to 20 weeks with exceptions for rape and incest and the life of a mother. Do you regret signing the petition for Prop 115?
Joe O’Dea
I've always been against late-term abortion. Michael Bennet. However, he actually embraces late term abortion up to including the moment of birth. I think that's reckless. He wants to use taxpayer dollars to pay for that.
Michael Bennet
You have said that you do support U.S. security assistance for Ukraine, but that wouldn't be shouldn't be a blank check. So what is the limit either in monetary terms, in timeline or in goals achieved or not met? What does it look like to you?
Joe O’Dea
Well, look, this has been caused by a reckless foreign policy that Biden is in charge of. This abandonment of Afghanistan started the, showed the weakness that we have. That's why Russia invaded. I believe we need responsible funding. I believe that we need some oversight on that money that we send there. But I also believe Ukraine should have the right to determine their own freedom, and I'll stand behind that.
Shannon Ogden
So no monetary limit? We’re at $17.5 billion, you're like, is $20 billion too much? Is $50 billion too much?
Joe O’Dea
Well, I think what we need to do is make sure that we back the Ukrainian people. We stand behind them. They're fighting for their freedom over there. We need to provide them what they need so they can secure themselves. But we also need to be responsible and make sure there's no graft or deceit or any money leaving and go into a different country. I think Rand Paul was spot on when he said, let's put some oversight on this bill.
Shannon Ogden
All right. So my first question was, when I first read about you many months ago, why run for office? Why start with Senate? But most importantly, looks like all intents and purposes, you have a lovely family and a great business. Why voluntarily get into national politics now? It is ugly out there right now.
Joe O’Dea
Yeah, America's worth fighting for. I got into this race because I love this country. My wife and I have been blessed. We've lived the American dream here in Colorado, grew a company from nothing to 300 people that are on our team. We love our employees. I want that same American Dream for my kids and my grandkids. And America's not headed in the right direction. We need good leaders that can step in and make sure we get this ship on the right course. That's why I jumped into this race. America's worth fighting for.
Shannon Ogden
Surely there are ways other than a national campaign or a statewide campaign to help move America toward those goals, rather than getting involved in 2022 electoral politics, you know.
Joe O’Dea
Well, ask me in six years, I'll tell you whether it was worth it or not. I'm supercharged about America. I want to make sure that we get this thing, get America headed in the right direction.
Shannon Ogden
So with sort of the mainstream-ification of the stolen election within the Republican Party, with the party that is a party of Marjorie Taylor Greene. Are you comfortable in the Republican Party today?
Joe O’Dea
I got to tell you, I don't believe The Big Lie. I've been consistent about that. Biden's our president. He's a horrible president. I got in this race because we need to put some checks and balances on Joe Biden. Michael Bennet won't do it. He's votes with him 98% of the time. He's solely responsible for this inflation that's record supercharged inflation, that's costing working Americans a lot of money, 10% reduction in their value of money right now because of what this Democratic Party has done.
Shannon Ogden
But does it make you uncomfortable? Because, you know, when I was coming up, Republican was one thing and Democrat was one thing. And this was not, at least a faction of this Republican Party is not what I recognized Republican Party to be. It was not my grandfather's Republican Party, you know?
Joe O’Dea
Well, I'm focused on moving the country forward. I'm not a partisan guy. I'm not going to I'm going to put America first. The party system here in the United States is broken. I'm telling you, one side's right. One side's wrong all the time. We need to get in the middle here where working Americans really are. And we need to start moving the Colorado that I know forward.
Shannon Ogden
All right. We are making good progress here. We're clicking right through this. Who in the Senate you look at and say, I'd like to be a senator like that senator?
Joe O’Dea
Well, I've watched Joe Manchin work. I thought he sold out here at the end for the Inflation Reduction Act. But before that, he was keeping this party in check. I liked some of the things that Tim Scott has done. Senator Scott's been a very big champion for school choice. I believe in school choice. I happen to be a product of it. My parents took me out of a school that wasn't working, put me in an all-boys Catholic school, where I got a great education. The number one thing we can do for our kids right now is put them in a situation where they can be successful. I believe every parent should have the ability to make that choice for their student.
Shannon Ogden
Who do you want to see in the White House next?
Joe O’Dea
Well, not Joe Biden. We can't take another four years.
Shannon Ogden
This who’s not. Who do you want to see in the White House?
Joe O’Dea
Well, there's some good candidates. I just was recently endorsed by Ron DeSantis. I think he could do a good job. I really like Secretary Pompeo. I've been endorsed by him as well. Nikki Haley, I've been endorsed by, and I really like Tim Scott. I like where Senator Scott's putting his energy, and that's on education.
Shannon Ogden
Very good. Two more things and you can get out of here. Does Trump bear any responsibility for January 6th?
Joe O’Dea
Well, I've been vocal about that. I think January 6th was a black eye on the country. The fact that it took three, three and a half hours for him to come out and say enough's enough. I think he could have done more earlier. But again, I'm not looking backwards. We need to be looking forwards. This is about moving Colorado, moving our country forward. That's why I'm in this race.
Shannon Ogden
All right. Now, this is the easy one and this is my gift to you. What's the reason people should vote for you?
Joe O’Dea
Well, they need to ask themselves how they're doing right now. It's not good. Record price on gas, record price on groceries, crime at an all-time high here in Colorado. We got fentanyl coming up from a leaking border. It's killing our kids. We lost 1,900 Coloradans last year, young adults to drug overdose. Nothing is going well. It's time for change. And that's what I represent. I represent a voice for working Americans. I'm going to bring change. I'm going to work across party aisle to make sure that we have good policies that move the country forward.
Shannon Ogden
Mr. O’Dea, thanks for your time. It was a real pleasure talking to you today.
Joe O’Dea
Thanks for letting me be here today. I appreciate it.
Click here for a full guide to voting on the four major statewide races on Nov. 8, the U.S. Senate race and the eight congressional races. Head to our politics section for more election coverage.