With his announcement on Thursday, Dean Phillips launched his long-shot Democratic primary challenge to President Joe Biden in the race for president.
“While I believe President Biden has done an outstanding job for our nation, it is not about the past. This election concerns the future. “I refuse to remain motionless, and I won’t remain silent in the face of numerical data that so clearly indicates that we will be dealing with an emergency come November,” Phillips stated to CBS News in an online video clip.
On Friday in Concord, Phillips is anticipated to formally launch his campaign and file to compete in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. He released his first campaign advertisement on Friday morning, a 60-second clip in the Granite State that included some background on himself without specifically mentioning Biden.
Because of his age and poor support rating, the three-term congressman has suggested that the president would be a weak general election candidate. He just resigned from his post as House Democratic leader due to internal party dissatisfaction over his suggestions for a Biden alternative. Nevertheless, Phillips’ campaign debut coincides with Democratic efforts to forge a consensus around Biden, thwart independent contenders who aim to derail the party, and highlight the achievements of the current government to the electorate. Biden loyalists have characterized speculation about Phillips’ candidacy as a diversion that would simply draw attention to the president’s shortcomings.
In August, Phillips made an attempt to get in touch with Biden, but the president was not accessible, a source said. The source stated that Phillips instead visited with White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, who “heard him out” but said the president “is the right person to win in 2024 and finish the job.”
As a courtesy, I tried to let him know about my goals, which at the time were to encourage a new generation of candidates to run for the nomination, Phillips said to CNN. “Brief but friendly,” he described the call with Zients.
Already, the party is having trouble with Phillips’ campaign strategy. Due to New Hampshire’s noncompliance with the national party’s amended nominating calendar, which reduced the state’s first-in-the-nation primary standing to second, Biden will not file to participate in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. Democrats will instead start a write-in campaign for the presidency.
Since Phillips has entered the race, New Hampshire Democrats will be even more motivated to make that effort in order to prevent Biden from suffering a humiliating early primary loss. AdImpact data indicates that Phillips has reserved $50,000 in ad time across the state this week.
The announcement video shows how Phillips’ campaign is entirely focused on the New Hampshire primary. In the one-minute clip, he talks about summertime trips he took as a child to the state and supports the long-standing custom of the state to expect presidential candidates to participate in retail politics—something Biden will not be doing.
I adore New Hampshire, he declares. “That is the reason I am returning to this location as a presidential contender. Where candidates for president stand in front of you, the electorate, walk through the snow, hear your hopes and worries, and most importantly, talk about how we’re going to collaborate to move forward together.
