President Joe Biden has a new Democratic challenger in the 2024 presidential primary race. Whether this Dean Phillips guy will last more than two weeks, we’ll have to wait and see.
Phillips was expected to announce his run for President after a bus sporting “Dean Phillips for President” was in Ohio this week. He officially kicked off his campaign today and has filed to run in the New Hampshire primary.
Phillips will be running as a Democrat and is running on a platform of “Make America Affordable Again.” Can we please stop trying to co-opt Trump’s disgusting MAGA slogan? I don’t mind laughing and joking about it (“Make America Gay Again” is a favorite) but as actual political campaign statements? It’s a little much and really only serves to remind people of Trump.
Also, affordable? This is a nod to the largely false narrative that Biden has not been good on the economy. I think Biden’s administration has not received ENOUGH credit for how the economy has been improving. Things can definitely get better and continue to improve but Phillips is playing into a harmful Republican narrative.
Who is Dean Phillips?
So who is this guy anyway? Phillips has been outspoken about the need to challenge Biden, and he seems primarily concerned about his age. During an appearance on The Chad Hartman Show this summer, he spoke mostly positively of Biden, saying, “I think he has, despite some mistakes and missteps, despite his age, I think he’s a man of decency, of good principal, of compassion, of empathy, and of strength.”
He then added, “But to answer your question [whether he thought Biden should run for reelection] directly, which I know is quite rare, uh no, I don’t.”
Look, Biden will be the oldest President ever. However, he also seems to be in pretty good shape mentally and physically according to every report we have had access to. His main challenger on the GOP side, Trump, is only four years younger than Biden. I have heard almost no Republicans (or anyone, really) talk about that though. Republicans would rather bury their heads because they know only one thing matters: power.
Phillips has served as a U.S. representative from Minnesota since 2019. He has been heavily involved in the business sector, having served as president and CEO of his family’s business, Phillips Distilling Company. He also ran Talenti Gelato and is the founder and owner of Penny’s Coffee. He really gets around in the business world. Which is probably why as of 2018, he had a reported net worth of $77 million, making him one of the wealthiest people in Congress.
Anyone hoping for a progressive challenger to Biden will have to look elsewhere as corporate-minded Phillips has predictably self-identified as a “centrist.” He hasn’t really made a huge name for himself politically and he has zero chance to overtake Biden, so Phillips using his resources (vast as they may be) to try and challenge Biden directly just seems pointless, adding an unnecessary wedge to what will already, somehow, be a tough race in 2024.
(featured image: Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
