Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) announced Thursday that he will challenge President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary race.
Phillips, 54, argued that the 80-year-old incumbent’s low approval ratings and polling numbers against potential Republican rivals make it imperative for another Democratic candidate to step forward.
“I think President Biden has done a spectacular job for our country, but it’s not about the past. This is an election about the future,” Phillips told CBS News.
“I will not sit still, I will not be quiet in the face of numbers that are so clearly saying that we’re going to be facing an emergency next November.”
The Minnesota Democrat’s presidential campaign website and X account went online Thursday, soliciting donations from supporters.
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“I’ve been listening all around our country, and I know things are tough right now,” reads a message on the campaign’s X account. “The economy is not working for everybody. We are concerned about chaos at our border and crime in our communities. We’re going to do better and we’re going to do it together!”
A Phillips campaign bus was spotted in New Hampshire earlier this week bearing the slogans, “Make America Affordable Again” and “Everyone’s Invited!”
Phillips is expected to formally announce his challenge to Biden on Friday in Concord, NH, where he’ll file to run in the state’s Democratic primary, according to CNN.
The president is not planning to appear on the ballot in the Granite State’s Democratic presidential primary in order to comply with the Democratic National Committee’s new primary schedule, which has South Carolina as the first contest Feb. 3, 2024, which could set the stage for an embarrassing Biden defeat in New Hampshire.
While Phillips has been a reliable vote in Congress for the Biden administration’s policies, he stepped down from the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee earlier this month in apparent preparation for announcing his run.
Phillips has previously said that Biden should not run for a second term, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” in August that “Democrats are telling me that they want, not a coronation, but they want a competition.”
“If we don’t heed that call, shame on us,” Phillips added. “And the consequences, I believe, are going to be disastrous. So, my call is to those who are well-positioned, well-prepared, of good character and competency, they know who they are, to jump in because Democrats and the country need competition. It makes everything better. That’s my call to them right now.”
A pair of polls released last week by Quinnipiac University and CNBC put Biden’s job disapproval rating at 56% and 58%, respectively, among US adults.
Meanwhile, a CNN/SSRS poll taken in late August found that 67% of registered Democrats and Democrat-leaners think the party should choose a different candidate for president next year.