Rep. Dean Phillips withdrew from the Democratic 2024 White House race on Wednesday, calling off a tough primary challenge to President Biden.
The move comes after the three-term congressman from Minnesota had a dismal showing on Super Tuesday, when contests for the Democratic presidential nomination were held in 15 states from coast to coast, including his home state. It was done.
“I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, and in 2021 I was locked in the Capitol because of Donald Trump. And I ran for Congress in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again. I ran for president because Americans demand an alternative, and democracy demands a choice.” Mr. Phillips wrote to X. “But the alternative is not me.” It’s clear. And it’s clear that Joe Biden is our candidate, and it’s clear that this is an opportunity for America to show what kind of country we are and what we’re going to become.”
“I want you to rally with me and do everything you can to energize and keep someone in the White House with decency and integrity, and that’s Joe Biden,” he said.
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Phillips, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, criticized Biden last year for not “passing the torch” to the next generation of Democratic leaders, repeatedly citing the president’s 81-year-old age.
Phillips urged a strong front-runner to challenge the president for the party’s nomination in 2024. Biden’s approval ratings continue to decline among many Americans, and he faces concerns about his physical and mental strength from Democrats as well as Republicans and independents.
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The billionaire businessman, co-founder of a gelato company, and three-term House Democrat from Minnesota was considering running with Biden when other leading Democrats were not considering running with him. launched his own campaign in late October.
Congressman Dean Phillips (D-Minnesota) holds a rally outside the New Hampshire State Capitol after handing over his candidacy for president to New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan on October 27, 2023 in Concord, New Hampshire. (Republican). . (Galen Morse/Getty Images)
“This country is very clear right now: They don’t want Joe Biden to be president. And they don’t want Donald Trump to be president,” Phillips said on the campaign trail late last year. emphasized. “The party that breaks this deadlock will win the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.”
And Phillips told Fox News Digital at the time that his mission was to “show that Americans are tired of crap. We’re in a crisis that neither President Donald Trump nor frankly President Biden can handle.” “It’s about showing that we’re facing this and it’s time for a change.” . ”
Phillips focused on issues such as the national debt, military spending and high taxes, and reiterated that he was running on behalf of a “tired majority.”
He strongly criticized the president and the Democratic National Committee for not allowing a primary debate between Biden and his challenger.
During the first three months of his campaign, Phillips focused most of his time and resources on New Hampshire, where the president’s name was not on the ballot for the unofficial Democratic primary on January 23.
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang (left) speaks with Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is running for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, at a Dean campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 18, 2024. Team up with your congressman. (Fox News – Monica Oros)
But thanks to a write-in campaign on the president’s behalf organized by leading New Hampshire Democrats, Biden ultimately won 64% of the vote. Phillips came in second place with just under 20% of the vote.
Mr. Phillips made that pledge on the campaign trail, speaking to supporters in New Hampshire on his opening night.
“The polls say he is [Biden] “We can’t win. His approval ratings say he can’t win,” Phillips insisted. “We’re going to South Carolina, Michigan and 47 other states.”
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But in early February, the president won a landslide victory in the South Carolina primary, receiving more than 96% of the vote. Phillips and best-selling author and spiritual advisor Marianne Williamson received fewer than 5,000 total votes.
After the disastrous loss in South Carolina, Phillips said he planned to stay in the race as a “principled mission.”
U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minnesota) speaks at the South Carolina Democratic Party’s first national banquet in Columbia on Saturday, January 27, 2024. Phillips was joined by Joe Biden, the banquet’s keynote speaker. He argues against the president. For this year’s Democratic presidential candidates. (AP Photo/Meg Kinard) (AP Photo/Meg Kinard)
Two weeks later, Phillips was forced to lay off a significant portion of his campaign staff due to poor fundraising. But a spokesperson for Mr. Phillips dismissed talk that the congressman would end his bid for the White House, saying that Mr. Phillips plans to remain in the race until the Democratic National Convention in August.
The results of the Michigan primary on February 27 were also disappointing, with Biden receiving 81% of the vote and Phillips just shy of 3%, just behind Williamson. Thirteen percent of voters cast their vote unconditionally to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
Mr. Phillips also attracted attention on the campaign trail due to several controversies.
He faced criticism for removing the phrase “diversity, equity and inclusion” from his campaign website after being publicly urged to do so by one of his donors.
And Phillips briefly flirted with a third-party agency whose centrist group No Labels could issue tickets, before quickly backtracking.
Upon withdrawing from the race, Phillips thanked his supporters.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported my efforts. We are committed to this important work to ensure a more responsive, democratic, and generationally diverse political system,” he said in a social media post. We will continue to do so.”
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