President Joe Biden will face another challenger in the Democrat primary cycle as Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) announced his 2024 presidential campaign during a CBS News interview on Thursday.
The Minnesota congressman announced his 2024 presidential campaign during a Thursday interview with Robert Costa on CBS News. During the interview, Phillips emphasized the need for next year’s election to focus on “the future” of the United States.
Asked by Costa if he was going to run for president, Phillips said, “I am. I have to. 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. 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.”
According to The Daily Caller, Phillips had been considering a potential White House bid for multiple months, expressing concerns about the president’s age and favorability, and a lack of Democratic alternatives for voters to choose from.
In his CBS interview, Phillips, age 54, expressed his admiration for Biden, but suggested that it is time for the next generation to lead the Democratic Party. Additionally, Phillips indicated that based on polling data, he is concerned about how the 2024 election could play out in a potential 2020 rematch between former President Donald Trump and Biden.
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Previously, Phillips stated, “It’s important for Democracy to have choices, to have competition, particularly in light of what I’m reading — the polling, the data — and what I’m sensing in my own intuition. And I’m concerned. I’m concerned that there is no alternative. I’m concerned that something could happen between now and next November that would make the Democratic Convention in Chicago an unmitigated disaster.”
According to The Daily Caller, the Minnesota congressman was recently in communication with New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, and met with individuals who could become staff members for his 2024 campaign. Additionally, at the beginning of the month, Phillips announced that he was stepping down as co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.
“While politics & official work do not mix, it’s clear my convictions about 2024 are incongruent with the position of my colleagues & that was causing discomfort,” he said.
