Zach Gibson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., announced Thursday he is running for president, becoming the 21st candidate to join the crowded field of Democrats hoping to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.
The presidential hopeful made his announcement on CBS This Morning.
The evening before his CBS interview, Bennet hinted at a major announcement in a tweet, linking to a sign-up page on his new website with the caption, “Be the first to know about my plans for the future.”
Bennet held out on announcing his run following a prostate cancer diagnosis, stating he would only run if he were cancer-free. Doctors said the 54-year-old Democrat underwent “a completely successful” surgery in late April, “requiring no further treatment,” according to a statement released by Courtney Gidner, a spokesperson for Bennet.
Among the Democratic candidates for president is former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a long-time colleague who hired the senator as his chief of staff when he was elected Denver mayor in 2003.
Bennet later became the superintendent of the Denver Public Schools in 2005, a position he touted in a recent Twitter post.
He was appointed senator of Colorado by then-Gov. Bill Ritter following the resignation of Ken Salazar, who left to become secretary of the Interior Department in 2009. Bennet was then re-elected to the Senate in 2010 and 2016.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.