Michael Bennet declared cancer-free, paving way for possible 2020 run

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) has been declared cancer-free after undergoing surgery over the weekend, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Democrat said Friday.

“Last weekend, Michael underwent surgery and is recovering at his home in Colorado,” Bennet spokeswoman Courtney Gidner said. “His doctors report the surgery was completely successful and he requires no further treatment.”

{mosads}“Michael and his family deeply appreciate the well wishes and support from Coloradans and others across the country, and he looks forward to returning to work after the recess.”

Bennet, who has held out a possible presidential run, revealed earlier this month that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer after undergoing a routine physical.

The news put a hold on his plans to announce a White House bid, though he has previously said that he would move forward with a campaign if he is declared cancer-free.

“It seemed to make sense to have the prostate removed,” he said, according to The Colorado Independent. “I’d be recuperating for seven to 10 days and would need some rest after that. The hope is then I’ll be cancer-free and able to move on. If I’m not cancer-free, then I’d have to make another decision.”

It’s unclear when Bennet could announce a possible presidential run. If he does decide to jump into the race, he will face an already crowded field of contenders that includes six of his colleagues in the Senate.

Bennet garnered attention earlier this year when he unleashed a 25-minute criticism of fellow Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on the Senate floor during a prolonged government shutdown.

He told The Colorado Independent earlier this month that he had already started making preparations for a presidential run and planned to announce a campaign “sometime in April.” The cancer diagnosis put a hold on those plans, he said.

“Then the question became: Is this still something I wanted to do?” he said. “I could answer the question in two ways. Maybe this would be a good time to give it up and go do something else. And the other was whether I could continue to run. I found myself hoping that I could run.”