The man so popular that he “earned” 81 million votes in the 2020 presidential election might soon face yet another internal challenger. Go figure.
Indeed, it appears that Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota will enter the 2024 presidential race against incumbent Joe Biden.
Tuesday on social media, Jason DeRusha of WCCO in Minnesota posted a photo and brief video of a “Dean Phillips for President” bus rolling down an Ohio highway.
DeRusha also noted that the bus featured campaign slogans, including “Make America Affordable Again.”
“SPOTTED: The Dean Phillips for President bus is already on the road. Photo from my friend Amy Waller, who sells German wine, on the road in Ohio. Bus says “Make America Affordable Again” and uses his slogan “Everyone’s Invited!” Website isn’t live, but just registered 10/12,” DeRusha tweeted.
SPOTTED: The Dean Phillips for President bus is already on the road. Photo from my friend Amy Waller, who sells German wine, on the road in Ohio. Bus says “Make America Affordable Again” and uses his slogan “Everyone’s Invited!” Website isn’t live, but just registered 10/12. pic.twitter.com/cT44n4Eo0x
— Jason DeRusha (@DeRushaJ) October 24, 2023
According to WCCO, Phillips likely will announce his candidacy Friday in New Hampshire. If so, he will narrowly beat the state’s primary filing deadline, also set for Friday.
Phillips’ expected candidacy comes as no surprise.
Earlier this month, for instance, he announced that he had resigned from both the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and the Democratic Caucus leadership. That signaled a potential move to challenge the president.
Likewise, in August, Phillips told NBC’s Chuck Todd that Biden should step aside for the sake of the country. During that interview, Phillips even cited potential replacements from among the party’s gubernatorial ranks, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
Readers, however, should not mistake Phillips for a man of principle. His objections to Biden stem entirely from the president’s advanced age and diminishing popularity.
In fact, the Minnesota congressman bears all the marks of a milquetoast candidate with a politician’s talent for insincere flattery.
“I’m representing what I believe to be the majority of the country that wants to turn the page, tired of the meanness and the fear-mongering of Donald Trump, would like to see Joe Biden, a wonderful and remarkable man, pass the torch, cement this extraordinary legacy,” Phillips told Todd.
Nonetheless, even a truckling nonentity like Phillips can give the president’s campaign headaches.
For one thing, Phillips’ candidacy alone will remind Democrats of everything they fear — age, low approval, etc. — about renominating Biden.
More importantly, the president already faces multiple challenges, either from the political left or from inside his own party.
Earlier this month, for instance, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., decided to campaign as an independent. Leftist activist Cornel West also has launched a presidential bid. Recent polling favors former President Donald Trump in a four-way race with Biden, RFK, Jr. and West.
Meanwhile, author Marianne Williamson has earned as much as 11 percent support in recent Democratic primary polling.
Phillips’ expected candidacy, therefore, amounts to one more sign of Democratic voters’ dissatisfaction with the president.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.