An individual whose immense popularity “earned” him 81 million votes in the 2020 presidential election may encounter an additional internal challenger in the near future. Consider the figure.
Indeed, it appears that Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips will challenge incumbent Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
Tuesday, WCCO in Minnesota’s Jason DeRusha uploaded a photo and brief video to social media of a “Dean Phillips for President” bus traversing 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
WCCO reports that Phillips will presumably declare his candidacy in New Hampshire on Friday. Should this occur, he will just miss the primary filing deadline established by the state for Friday.
The anticipated candidacy of Phillips is not unexpected.
For example, he tendered his resignations from both the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and the Democratic Caucus leadership earlier this month. That indicated the possibility of an attempt to dispute the president.
In August, Phillips similarly advised Chuck Todd of NBC that Biden ought to resign in the national interest. Phillips even mentioned potential replacements from the party’s gubernatorial ranks, including Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, during that interview.
However, it would be erroneous to assume that Phillips is a man of principle. His criticisms of Biden are solely attributable to the advancing age and declining popularity of the president.
The Minnesota congressman, in fact, embodies every characteristic of a milquetoast candidate, including the disingenuous flattery characteristic of politicians.
“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.
However, Phillips, a truckling nonentity, is still capable of causing difficulties for the president’s campaign.
By virtue of Phillips’ candidacy, Democrats will be reminded of all the concerns they have regarding renominating Biden, including his advanced age and low approval rating.
More significantly, the president is already confronted with numerous obstacles, both internal and external to his own political party.
For example, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. declared his intention to run as an independent earlier this month. Cornel West, a leftist activist, has also declared his candidacy for president. Recent polling indicates that former President Donald Trump leads Biden, RFK, Jr., and West in a four-way election.
In contrast, Marianne Williamson, an author, has garnered as much as 11 percent of the vote in recent Democratic primary surveys.
Therefore, the anticipated candidacy of Phillips is an additional indication that Democratic voters are discontent with the president.