Rep. Phillips says he hasn’t ruled out Biden challenge in 2024

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said he has not yet ruled out a primary challenge to President Biden for 2024. 

“I am thinking about it. I haven’t ruled it out,” Phillips told host Steve Schmidt on “The Warning” podcast, adding that it is a “steep slope.”

“I think there are people who are more proximate, better prepared to campaign with national organizations, national name recognition, which I do not possess,” he continued.

Phillips, a three-term congressman, has been toying with a potential 2024 bid against Biden for months and has repeatedly called for a competitive primary, urging other Democrats to jump into the race. He said on the podcast that he is “concerned that there is no alternative.”

“I’m concerned that something could happen between now and next November that would make the Democratic Convention in Chicago an unmitigated disaster,” he said.

The Minnesota Democrat said the country is “begging for” alternatives to the two-party system, adding that both Democrats and Republicans want to see alternatives to Biden and former President Trump.

There are already two Democratic challengers to Biden in the primary: Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But the president is the far-and-away front-runner to secure the party’s nomination.

Phillips has previously signaled that he would not challenge Biden but said last month that he would make a firm decision on his 2024 plans in September. He has also reiterated that if Biden is nominated for the Democratic ticket, he will do “everything” he can to “ensure he is reelected.”

“My candidacy is very unlikely to be part of this,” Phillips said in an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune last month. “But I’ve used the moment and the spotlight that came with my call to action to encourage others.”