Candidate Comparison:

Colorado Senate

michael-bennet

Michael Bennet (D)

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Joe O’Dea (R)

Wages

Bennet has consistently supported raising the minimum wage to $15 and has supported both the Raise the Wage Act, and the Paycheck Fairness Act. [1]	O’Dea is supported by anti-worker politicians who opposed raising the minimum wage. [2]

Unions & Labor

Bennet is a cosponsor of the PRO Act, which will strengthen workers’ bargaining power and their right to join a union, penalize predatory corporations, safeguard the right to strike, and eliminate “right to work for less” laws. [3]	O’Dea said that unions have ”outlived a lot of their usefulness.” [4]

Helping Essential Workers

Bennet fought for Coloradans by bringing $3.8 billion in funding to the state from the American Rescue Plan Act. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Bennet has fought for supports for affected workers. [5]	In the height of the pandemic, O’Dea opposed mask mandates and CDC guidance designed to protect essential workers from COVID-19-related risks. He has ridiculed other leaders’ efforts to support workers. [6]

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Bennet is a tireless champion for child care funding and supports paid leave and paid sick days.	O’Dea has aligned himself with state Senators who voted against expanding paid family leave. He has offered no solutions for paid leave. [8]
He was the lead sponsor of legislation to expand the child tax credit and has voted for legislation that which would expand paid sick days and family and medical leave. [7]

Health Care

Bennet is a strong supporter of expanding health care coverage. He voted for the Affordable Care Act and has fought against multiple efforts to reduce coverage for Americans.	O’Dea has no plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs and opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, which will address high prescription drug costs saying, “I didn’t see anything in [the bill] that I like.” [10]
Bennet has fought to ensure individuals with pre-existing conditions can continue to keep their coverage and has voted to keep medical costs in check. Bennet voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower prescription drug costs for seniors, cap insulin prices for Medicare beneficiaries, and extend health insurance premium benefiting over 100,000 Coloradans. [9]

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

Bennet has fought for everyday Coloradans by voting against massive tax breaks for corporations and the rich, saying, “The Trump tax bill didn’t just explode the deficit, it forced many Americans to pay more while the wealthiest among us reaped giant tax cuts.” Indeed, that bill resulted in companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Chevron, paying nothing in taxes, while just 6% of the tax savings were spent on workers.	O’Dea has offered no plans on how to help working Americans impacted by inflation. [12]
In response to high gas prices, Bennet introduced a bill requiring large oil companies pay additional taxes on high gas prices. He also called on the IRS to lower taxes on people who use their vehicles for business and said that “High gas prices are hurting American families just as the cost of groceries, housing, and other energy sources rise and large portions of the workforce are returning to in-person work.” [11]

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