DENVER (KDVR) — It’s still campaign season, which means we’re still doing Truth Checks. This time, we are checking Senator Michael Bennet’s second official campaign advertisement that raises claims about his records on voting and fishing.
Before we start breaking down what the narrator of the ad is saying, let’s go over who this guy is. You can see the ad describes him as a fly-fishing outfitter. That is true but what the ad does not tell you is that Greg Felt is a Chaffee County Commissioner and a Gov. Polis appointee to the state’s Water Conservation Board. Now let’s get into what he’s saying.
“We all know what happens when a senator goes to Washington: special interests get their hooks in em’ and they get caught in the mess. But not Michael Bennet. He’s always focused on colorado.” he’s leading the fight to defend our way of life,” Felt says in the first 13 seconds of the ad.
Okay, all of this is Felt’s opinion of Bennet as a senator. Here are the rest of the claims Felt made about Bennet in the ad that the Truth Check team found about them all.
‘Protecting our Public Lands’
Truth Check says this is true. Just this week, Bennet invited the U.S. Agricultural Secretary to talk about plans to protect public lands. He also sponsors the Core Act in the Senate, which would protect 400,000 acres of public lands by adding new wilderness areas. While it has passed the House, it continues to stall in the Senate.
Bennet’s campaign team also points to legislation he backed this year that made Amache a National Historic Site and legislation protecting Hermosa Creek.
‘Promoting Forest and Watershed Health’
Truth Check says this is true. Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse advocated getting the Joint Chiefs Restoration Partnership formalized as a part of the bipartisan infrastructure plan. The partnership allocated $3 million to the San Juan Project and Northern Front Range Collaboration Watershed Resilience Project.
‘Supporting Businesses Like Mine’
Truth Check says this is true. Bennet voted in favor of the paycheck protection program extension program that records show Felt’s business was able to receive about $82,000 in funding.
Bennet also proposed the Restart Act which would have added further extensions to the program.
‘I’m not a Democrat’
Truth Check says this is true. Felt is an unaffiliated voter.
‘I know Michael doesn’t take the bait from Washington. He works for Colorado.’
Truth Check says this is an opinion.
‘I’m Michael Bennet and I approve of this message. And I caught that fish.’
Truth Check’s final thought is that this ad is a mix of truths and opinions about Bennet from Felt. There has been some unexpected controversy over Bennet shooting this ad using a one-day fishing license. While some are questioning his method of short-term angling, his team said they prefer that people focus on his work in the Senate.
You can watch this story and more political discussion on “Colorado Point of View” which airs on Colorado’s Very Own Channel 2 at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
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