President Biden already has a slew of Republicans vying for his job in the Oval Office— including the current frontrunner from that party, former President Trump—as well as fellow Democrats Marianne Williamson and Cenk Uygur, and independent candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Now, another Dem is about to jump into the primary: The AP reports that Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is set to announce his run Friday from Concord, New Hampshire, after months of urging other Dems to challenge the incumbent Biden. Fox News reports that Phillips, a congressman in his third term, filed campaign paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, and that his campaign website has gone live.
Ahead of his official announcement, Phillips, when asked by CBS News on Thursday if he was running, replied, "I am. I have to." He added: "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—the grandson of the late Pauline Phillips (aka advice columnist "Dear Abby"), wealthy heir to a distilling company, and once-head of the Talenti gelato company—has cited Biden's age (80), low approval ratings, and Democrats' desire for a new generation of leaders as among the reasons he's getting into the race, per the New York Times.
"I am a Democratic candidate who can win the 2024 general election," Phillips is expected to say in New Hampshire, per comments that Politico received in advance. "And it's time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders." Among the issues Phillips plans on broaching: crime, high defense spending, and border security—issues that "many Democrats have been reluctant to criticize the president [about]," per Politico. The White House had a muted response to Phillips' planned run, with a spokesperson noting, "The administration appreciates that Congressman Phillips has voted for nearly 100% of the president's legislative agenda." (More Election 2024 stories.)
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