Staff Reports
Democratic Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota made a bold move in his bid for the presidency by attempting to secure a primary opponent for President Joe Biden. However, his efforts were met with disappointment as no one returned his messages. Phillips expressed his desire for other Democrats to join him in the race and emphasized the importance of competition within the party. Unfortunately for him, influential figures such as Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan did not answer his phone calls.
Undeterred by the lack of response, Phillips launched his campaign in New Hampshire, advocating for a new generation of American leaders to take the reins from Biden. Despite his enthusiasm, he faces an uphill battle as the Democratic Party has thrown its full support behind the incumbent president. Phillips, who was once a strong supporter of Biden, has become a vocal critic of his reelection bid, which has led to his alienation from the rest of the party.
?JUST IN – Rep. Dean Phillips (D) launches primary challenge against President Biden, claiming that Biden is poised to lose the 2024 election to Donald Trump.
"He's down 9 points in the ABC poll nationally. He's down in 5 of 6 battleground states. His approval numbers are… pic.twitter.com/JxIJmzeRCE
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) October 30, 2023
To complicate matters further, Biden’s campaign recently announced that he would not appear on the primary ballot for New Hampshire in 2024 due to the Democratic National Committee’s rules. Phillips strategically chose New Hampshire for his campaign launch, capitalizing on this development. However, many Democrats have questioned his decision to enter the primary, particularly when the party’s focus is on preventing former President Donald Trump from returning to the White House.
Some Democratic senators, like Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, have dismissed Phillips’s chances of success. Hickenlooper even expressed confusion over the goals and potential upside of Phillips’s presidential campaign. The prevailing sentiment within the party seems to be that Phillips’s bid for the presidency is unnecessary and unlikely to gain traction.
While Phillips’s efforts to secure a primary opponent for Biden fell flat, another potential contender surfaced in the form of Governor Gavin Newsom of California. Despite repeatedly denying interest in the 2024 presidency and pledging support for Biden’s reelection, Newsom has been steadily increasing his national profile. By criticizing Republican governors and lawmakers and traveling to foreign nations, Newsom hints at a future presidential campaign. Only time will tell if Newsom will join the race and further complicate the Democratic landscape.
