Dean Phillips recruits to challenge Biden ignored his phone calls

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) revealed he tried to secure a Democratic primary opponent for President Joe Biden before opting to step into the role himself, but no one returned his messages.

Phillips said in an interview with Puck that he wants other Democrats to join him in the race to replace Biden in 2024 because “competition is healthy,” but rising party leaders such as Govs. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) did not return his phone calls.

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“They didn’t answer,” Phillips said.

The Minnesota representative launched his campaign on Friday in New Hampshire, echoing his repeated plea for the president to pass the torch “to a new generation of American leaders.” He is relatively unknown on a national scale and will face an uphill battle to become the Democratic nominee, as the party has thrown its full support behind Biden.

The three-term Democratic congressman was once a strong supporter of Biden but has been a staunch critic of his reelection bid and age in recent months, which has alienated him from the rest of his party.

Phillips’s launch in New Hampshire was a strategic move after Biden’s campaign announced last week the president would not appear on the Granite State’s primary ballot for 2024 due to the Democratic National Committee’s rules.

Many Democrats have come out either to condemn or brush aside Phillips’s bid for president, questioning why he would enter the primary when the party is looking to keep former President Donald Trump out of the White House in 2024.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) told the Hill that she doesn’t think “that’s going to end up being a big issue.” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) said he doesn’t see “any pathway he has to win.”

“I don’t understand what his goals are,” Hickenlooper said, adding that he doesn’t see the upside for Phillips in his presidential campaign. “I just don’t understand.”

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Another possible contender for Biden was Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who has downplayed months of speculation that he would enter the race. Newsom has stated several times he is not interested in the 2024 presidency and said in 2022 that he committed to support Biden’s reelection efforts.

However, Newsom has been slowly building his national profile, blasting high-level Republican governors and lawmakers and traveling to foreign nations, signaling a Newsom presidential campaign may arrive within the next few years.