Sen. Michael BennetCertified

Election Legitimacy (29/30)

Bennet has never disputed a certified election outcome, including his own 2020 presidential primary loss, and he was outspoken in defending the certification of the 2020 election. On January 6, 2021, he spoke on the Senate floor about the attack on the U.S. Capitol and the partisan effort by some Republican Members of Congress to object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College , urging colleagues to affirm America’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, the Constitution, and the peaceful transition of power . A year later, he marked the anniversary by publishing an op-ed that urges the country to reject the ongoing, unfounded claims of election fraud and seize this moment to strengthen American democracy for the next generation . He has continued this posture into the current Congress, joining colleagues to introduce legislation blocking what his office called President Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional executive order that attacks Coloradans’ ability to cast mail-in ballots , and condemning USPS rulemaking tied to that order. No search turned up any instance of Bennet disputing a legitimate election result without evidence. The one-point deduction reflects that, as with any officeholder, this is a snapshot judgment rather than a claim of a flawless multi-decade record.

Voting Rights (23/25)

Bennet has been a sustained and active legislator on ballot access. He was an original co-sponsor of the For the People Act , a package aiming to restore the promise of American democracy by making it easier to vote; curbing the influence of big money in politics; and strengthening ethics and transparency in government , and has repeatedly cosponsored the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, most recently on the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, when he and Sen. Hickenlooper reintroduce[d] legislation to restore the landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) and stop the spread of voter suppression . He has also pushed the Freedom to Vote Act, which he said would ban partisan gerrymandering, promote secure elections, address our broken campaign finance system, and make it easier for Americans in every state to cast a ballot . More recently, in response to Trump-era actions, Bennet joined Senators John Hickenlooper, Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and 35 of their colleagues to introduce the Mail and Absentee Voter Protection Act to block President Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional executive order that attacks Coloradans’ ability to cast mail-in ballots . The record is strong but entirely party-line on the major bills (blocked by GOP filibusters), which is reflected in a score just short of the maximum.

Checks and Balances (23/25)

Bennet has a substantial oversight record. He voted to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, and as far back as 2017 he framed judicial independence as core to constitutional government, stating in his introduction of Judge Neil Gorsuch that the independence of our courts is an essential strength of our democracy. Attacking the judicial branch erodes the public confidence that gives force to their judgments. It damages the very foundations of our Constitutional system , adding that disagreeing with a court’s decision is acceptable; disparaging a judge is always wrong . He opposed Jeff Sessions’ nomination as Attorney General and later called for his recusal amid allegations he misled Congress. In the current Congress, Bennet has repeatedly pressed for oversight of the executive branch, including formally asking Senate leadership to launch immediate investigations into the Trump administration’s use of federal agencies, grants, and personnel to carry out the President’s political vendetta against Colorado , and renewing calls for Defense Secretary Hegseth’s resignation following a Pentagon Inspector General report. He also joined colleagues sounding the alarm on the Trump Administration Use of Election Crimes Prosecutions to Interfere in Midterm Elections and calling for an independent investigation into political interference in IRS audits. This is an active, sustained record of using oversight tools against an administration of the opposing party, which is exactly the kind of consistency the rubric rewards; it falls short of a perfect score only because Bennet’s oversight activity is concentrated in the current period of divided/unified government rather than spanning consistently high-profile subpoena fights across multiple administrations.

Conduct in Office (20/20)

No nonpartisan findings — from the Senate Ethics Committee, GAO, or an Inspector General — were found naming Bennet as a subject of an ethics violation or misconduct finding. Searches turned up general Senate Ethics Committee coverage of other senators (e.g., Franken, Ensign) but nothing implicating Bennet himself. Per the rubric, the absence of documented nonpartisan findings warrants full marks.

Bipartisan Cooperation (8/10)

Bennet’s clearest democracy-adjacent bipartisan achievement is his role in the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, a bill led by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) that reforms and modernizes the outdated 1887 Electoral Count Act . Bennet’s office announced that he joined his colleagues in supporting the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act , which — unlike most of his other voting-rights bills — actually passed and was enacted into law with significant Republican support, directly closing a loophole exploited in the January 6 certification dispute. He also has a broader reputation, noted by outside sources, for seeking bipartisan support for his legislative proposals . Points are deducted because his other major democracy bills (For the People Act, Freedom to Vote Act, John Lewis VRAA) were pursued and blocked on a near party-line basis, limiting the breadth of bipartisan achievement specifically on democracy legislation.