Dean Phillips, Democrat who is challenging Biden, will not seek re-election
Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, a Democrat who launched a lengthy primary challenge to President Biden last month, said Friday that he will not run for re-election next year.
Mr. Phillips, 54, a third-term moderate congressman who represents a district that includes the Minneapolis suburbs, renewed his call for generational change in Washington as he announced the move.
“After three terms, it is time to pass the torch,” he said in a speech rackdescribing a country “facing a crisis of cooperation, common sense and truth.”
In challenging Mr. Biden for the Democratic nomination, Mr. Phillips has cited the president’s age, 81, and his low approval ratings, warning that Mr. Biden risks losing his re-election bid to former President Donald J. Trump, 77, the Republican frontrunner. Recent polls, including a New York Times/Siena College survey, show Biden trailing Trump in key battleground states.
But Mr. Phillips has little chance against Mr. Biden as the race currently stands, with the Democratic Party and major liberal donors firmly behind the president.
Mr. Phillips has also angered Democrats with his criticism of Mr. Biden, as he did recently walked back comments he made questioning the abilities of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The early focus of his presidential campaign on heavily white New Hampshire has drawn criticism mainly from black Democrats.
Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the influential Democrat who played a key role in Biden’s rise in 2020, wrote on social media that Mr. Phillips “disrespected the wishes of the titular head of our party and the loyalty of some of our party’s most trusted voters.”
Mr. Phillips, the Minnesota liquor company heir who also headed the Talenti ice cream company, has already done that used part of his fortune to finance his presidential campaign.
Since he won the 2018 election, his congressional district has been a relatively safe Democratic seat: he was re-elected last year with 60 percent of the vote.