Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said Sunday that he doesn't expect a diagnosis of prostate cancer to keep him from joining the crowded Democratic field for president in 2020.
"I'm looking forward to running in 2020," Bennet said on CNN's "State of the Union." "This obviously was unexpected. But we caught it early. It's something that I think we're going to be able to treat. And I don't think it should keep me off the trail."
Bennet announced last week that the cancer was found during a screening and that he plans to have surgery when Congress recesses this month, followed by a few weeks of recovery. "I would like to get on with this," he said Sunday.
About 1 in 9 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes. "It was detected early, and as a result, my prognosis is good," Bennet said when he announced the diagnosis.
The Colorado senator is among at least five more Democrats considering the party's race for the right to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in 2020, including former Vice President Joe Biden. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio bought the number of declared candidates to 16 when he announced his candidacy.
"Progressives, independents, we need to unify around policies that move the ball down the field and start helping more working-class people," Ryan said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday.
Bennet, 54, a former managing director of Denver's Anschutz Investment Co., drew national attention with an impassioned floor speech in January criticizing Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during the partial federal government shutdown. But he has a penchant for bipartisanship and independent thinking.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday he would "stack up my experience against anybody." He said the timing is right for candidate like him to "change the channel from this mesmerizing horror show that's going on in Washington right now."
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(Laura Litvan contributed to this report.)
