Dean Phillips, a congressman from Minnesota, is challenging Joe Biden for the presidency in 2024.
Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota has taken a surprising and audacious step by declaring his campaign to run against President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. According to Phillips, a new generation of leaders is needed immediately, and waiting another four years may be too late.
The Democrat congressman defended his intention to run for president on “CBS Mornings,” saying that recent polls show an uphill battle for the 80-year-old incumbent if he faces off against Trump, who is also a former president.
Several surveys show a close race between the two candidates, but a poll conducted by ABC and the Washington Post the month before sent shockwaves through the political community when it showed Trump with a double-digit advantage over Biden.
According to Phillips, “I will not sit idly, nor will I remain silent when the numbers unequivocally suggest that we will be facing a crisis next November.”
While praising President Biden for his “spectacular job,” Phillips stressed that the upcoming election should focus on the future rather than “the past.”
According to him, “I firmly believe that a new generation is required, and it is high time to pass the torch.”
In contrast to the 48% who felt similarly about Trump, 76% of respondents in a recent poll from Monmouth University felt that Biden was “too old” to serve another term.
Phillips expressed concern over the next four years should he fail to fight Biden for the Democratic primary.
“I genuinely believe that the time to act is now, as I fear that waiting for four more years might be a missed opportunity,” warned him.
Phillips said he’d vote for Biden if the vice president gets the nomination, and he hoped his own run would encourage other Democrats to follow suit.
I am quite proud to call myself a Democrat. If I don’t end up being the nominee, I promise to back whoever does with the same level of enthusiasm I would have brought to my own campaign. Competition is what our party needs,” he said, “and it’s unusual for a newbie to this arena to say that.”
On Monday, Suffolk University and USA Today released a poll showing that 37% of registered voters back Biden, while 36% back Trump. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an independent, received 13% of the vote, and Cornel West, another independent, received 4% of the vote.
There have been no official statements made by Representative Phillips’ office concerning his run for president.