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Who is Dean Phillips? Minnesota Rep. launches primary challenge against Biden
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips has launched his 2024 presidential campaign in New Hampshire
Minnesota Congressman and businessman Dean Phillips has launched a long-shot primary challenge against President Joe Biden on Friday. In a recent interview, Phillips announced that he will be running for president and launched his 2024 campaign in New Hampshire, as per CBS News. The 54-year-old Democrat said that although he admires Biden, who he believes has done a “spectacular job,” it is time for the new generation to lead the party. “But it's not about the past. This is an election about the future,” Phillips said.
On Friday morning, the three-term Democratic lawmaker explained his motive behind the presidential bid in a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter. He wrote, “I am running for President as a Democrat in 2024. My campaign will be about four main things.” He continued, “I didn’t set out to enter this race. But it looks like on our current course, the Democrats will lose and Trump will be our president again.” He added, “President Biden is a good man and someone I tremendously respect. I understand why other Democrats don’t want to run against him, and why we are here. This is a last-minute campaign, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and courage is an important value to me.”
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Who is Dean Phillips?
Dean Benson Phillips is an American businessman and congressman who was first elected in 2018. He has served as the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district since 2019. Phillips is the first Democrat to claim the seat since 1958, who serves on the Small Business and Foreign Affairs committees. The 54-year-old lawmaker's district encompasses the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Bloomington, Minnetonka, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth, and Eden Prairie.
The Minnesota native attended Brown University and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business. His father, Artie Pfefer, died in the Vietnam War when Phillips was only 6 months old while his mother, DeeDee Cohen remarried Eddie Phillips, a businessman famous for establishing the luxury vodka spirits category. After he graduated, he became the president and CEO of his family's distilling business- Phillips Distilling Company. The Democrat is married to Annalise Glick, a businesswoman, who shares two children with him.
