House Democrat Dean Phillips launches primary challenge against President Biden Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips formally launched his presidential campaign Friday and filed to run in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, kicking off his long-shot challenge to President Joe Biden.
Surrounded by a small crowd of supporters, staff and curious bystanders outside the New Hampshire State House in Concord, Phillips reiterated his call for a new generation of Democratic leaders.
“I am running for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States because, my friends, it is time for a change,” the third-term congressman said. “And I am ready to lead our great nation to a secure and a more prosperous future.”
In an earlier interview in Concord, aboard his campaign bus, Phillips said he felt compelled to challenge Biden – whom he called a “terrific president” – over his concerns that the incumbent would lose a general election rematch against former President Donald Trump. The congressman said he tried to encourage Biden to pass the torch and to convince other Democratic candidates to run in the primary. When those efforts failed, he entered the race himself.
“This was not about me,” Phillips told CNN. “But my inability to attract other candidates, to inspire the president to recognize that it is time, compels me to serve my country because it appears that President Joe Biden is going to lose the next election.”
For months, Phillips, who recently left his House Democratic leadership position in the face of intraparty frustration over his calls for a Biden alternative, has argued that the president would be a weak general election candidate due to his age and low approval ratings. But his campaign launch comes as Democrats are seeking to unify around Biden, fend off spoiler independent candidates and lay out the administration’s accomplishments to voters. Biden allies have described talk of Phillips run.............
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/26/politics/dean-phillips-presidential-campaign-launch/index.html
