Incumbent presidents usually do not come up against very competitive primaries in election years. Perhaps the last major challenge to an Oval Office tenant occurred in 1980 when Ted Kennedy attempted to wrest the Democratic nomination from Jimmy Carter. Although Carter prevailed thanks to his experience in office, the competitive primary meant that he arrived weaker at the general election, where Ronald Reagan defeated him.
Forty-four years later, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson are seeking to wrest the nomination from Joe Biden. Running respectively to the right and left of the president, they expressed their dissatisfaction with the current administration's policies. This list of candidates could soon be joined by another name, currently representing Minnesota's third congressional district in the House of Representatives.
Minnesota Democrat Rep. Dean Phillips calls on Democrats "who are well positioned" to "jump in" the presidential election "because Democrats and the country need competition" pic.twitter.com/VsgHfnepRp
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 6, 2023
Dean Phillips (D-MN) is a businessman who happens to be one of the wealthiest legislators on Capitol Hill. He gained notoriety in 2018 when he defeated Erik Paulsen to reach Congress, flipping a seat that had been Republican since 1958. While he voted with President Biden 100 percent of the time, he is considering a primary challenger.
In an interview with "Face the Nation," he assured that Democratic voters "don't want a coronation, they want a competition," as he invited other candidates to enter the race. Without officially announcing anything, he said he was not well-positioned to start his presidential campaign at that time but seemed to leave the option open for the coming months.
"I woke up the morning after the 2016 election ... [and] saw fear in my daughters' eyes," says Democrat Rep. Dean Phillips.
"I recognized at that moment that millions of Americans have had that same fear for generations and I promised them I would do something." pic.twitter.com/YqTrhzeVMO
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 6, 2023
"If we don’t heed that call, shame on us, and the consequences, I believe, are going to be disastrous. So my call is to those who are well positioned, well prepared, a good character and competency — they know who they are — to jump in because Democrats and the country need competition. It makes everything better," he expressed.
"I do not believe I’m well positioned to run for it right now. People who are should jump in because we need to meet the moment. The moment is now. That is what the country is asking," he added.
Phillips also highlighted the work of Kamala Harris, whom he defined as more prepared than people perceive her to be.
