Dean Phillips draws primary challenger following rumors he plans to challenge Biden

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MI) won’t have an unimpeded path to reelection next year after he stepped down from House leadership and floated the possibility of challenging President Joe Biden in a primary.

Democratic National Committee executive member Ron Harris announced on Friday he would launch a campaign to challenge Phillips for the Minnesota House seat Phillips flipped in 2018. Harris launched his campaign after reports circulated earlier this month the Minnesota DNC member was pulling together a team for a run at the state’s 3rd Congressional District.

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Harris served as the chief resilience officer for the City of Minneapolis and now serves as a DNC executive committee member and Midwestern Caucus chairman. At 33 years old, Harris bolstered his career in the state’s Democratic establishment and “committed his life to public service.”

Harris’s campaign site notes he is a “young and effective leader with a proven track record” of bringing change in his community. He was raised by a single mother and was inspired by former President Barack Obama‘s “historic ascent” to the White House.

His campaign states Harris is “running for Congress to ensure that his community has strong, effective, Democratic representation in Washington. As a next generation leader, Ron is committed to fighting the forces of apathy and cynicism coming from across the political spectrum and showing that it is his generation’s time to step up and serve our country.”

Harris’s intraparty challenge to Phillips comes after Phillips stepped down from his role in House Democratic leadership last month, saying his convictions about supporting Biden for reelection weren’t compatible with the rest of his party. While Phillips aligns himself with Biden’s agenda, the Minnesota Democrat has been critical of the president, expressing his concerns regarding Biden’s age and calling for him not to run for reelection.

“It’s healthy to have alternatives. I think voters are demanding it,” Phillips told reporters following a visit to a healthcare facility in Minnetonka, Minnesota, this week. “That’s what I am trying to articulate is the numbers are clear: Americans want more choice and our duopoly, our political industrial complex is doing a very effective job at preventing that very competition.”

Phillips has yet to face a highly competitive Democratic primary challenger, soaring through three congressional elections as the only serious contender in the party. Phillips was first elected in 2018 after defeating six-term Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen in a district once widely held by GOP leadership.

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If Phillips decides to jump into the 2024 presidential race, Harris would be the only prominent candidate so far vying to hold the suburban congressional seat — a challenger from the Republican Party has yet to come forward.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Harris’s and Phillips’s teams for comment.