Michael was appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate for Colorado. Polls gauged his name recognition at a whopping 3%. Republicans called him the âaccidental Senator.â Even a national political website greeted his new position with the headline: âWTF?!!.â
And itâs true. Michael did not come from politics. Prior to being appointed, Michael served as the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools and had spent part of his career in the private sector.
But, he went to Washington and got to work.
He quickly established himself as a pragmatic leader and independent thinker – who delivers tangible results for the people of Colorado.
Throughout his years in the Senate, Michael has built a reputation for listening to Coloradans, letting their needs guide his agenda in Washington, and working with Republicans and Democrats to address Colorado and our nationâs greatest challengesâincluding child poverty, education, climate change, immigration, health care, and national security.
Driven by an obligation to create an economy that works for everyone, not just the few at the top, Michael has delivered policies like the expanded Child Tax Credit, which kept nearly 4 million children out of poverty in 2021; a once-in-a-generation infrastructure bill which secured funding for Coloradoâs roads, bridges, public transportation, and the single largest investment in high speed internet in American history; and a ban on surprise bills following a medical emergency which went into effect in early 2022.
The people of Colorado re-elected Michael in November 2022. He is still at work delivering for Colorado alongside his wife Susan and their three daughters, Caroline, Halina, and Anne, and their cat Captain Flint.
"Like most Americans, I refuse to accept that our economy and our democracy are too broken to fix. For the sake of our children, we must build opportunity for every American and restore integrity to our government."