Dean Phillips 2024 presidential campaign

Dean Phillips, the U.S. representative from MN's 3rd congressional district, announced his campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election on October 27, 2023. He was one of four major candidates who have mounted primary challenges to incumbent President Joe Biden; environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew in October 2023 to run as an independent, while author Marianne Williamson suspended her campaign in February 2024 before unsuspending again later that month. The campaign was considered to be a "long-shot" run by Roll Call and NBC News. On March 6, 2024, Phillips suspended his campaign following Super Tuesday. Phillips is the second-placed person in terms of awarded delegates in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Four delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago were awarded to Phillips. Delegates were gained from OH's 2nd congressional district, OH's 6th congressional district, and OH's 14th congressional district congressional districts and Logan County, Nebraska.

Background
In July 2023, Phillips said he was considering challenging President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries. He has been outspokenly against a non-competitive primary and believes the party should welcome a new generation of leadership. In October 2023, he announced that he would step down as co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee because his views on the 2024 presidential race were incongruent with the majority of his caucus. He filed the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on October 26.

Campaign developments
Phillips made an official announcement for his candidacy on October 27 in Concord, New Hampshire. Due to his late entry, he did not appear on the ballot in the Nevada primary, although he filed to make the New Hampshire ballot the day before the deadline. He has been criticized by Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, as well as Representative Dina Titus, for skipping the state. Representative Bennie Thompson called Phillips' decision to campaign in New Hampshire "'disrespectful' to voters of color", while Jim Clyburn stated that Phillips was not "respecting the wishes of the ... head of our Party."

On the day of the campaign launch, Phillips was asked by the The Daily Beast about receiving a donation from Harlan Crow, a major donor to the Republican Party and close friend with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, for his 2020 re-election. Phillips responded that he did not recall speaking with or meeting Crow.

According to Steve Schmidt, an early Phillips' campaign advisor who left the campaign shortly after its launch, the focus will be on the early primaries in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Michigan.

Phillips received 19.9% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, coming in second place to Joe Biden's write-in campaign. Phillips received less than 2% of the vote in the South Carolina primary. Phillips was not on the ballot in Nevada because his candidacy began after the state's filing deadline. In the California Democratic presidential primary, Phillips received 2.8 percent of the total votes cast, with 100,284 votes. In the Ohio Democratic Presidential primary, Phillips received three of Ohio’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention. He met the 15% threshold of votes in an individual congressional district needed to receive a delegate in the state’s 2nd, 6th, and 14th congressional districts. In the Nebraska Democratic Presidential Primary, Phillips earned a single delegate to the Democratic National Convention after he received the most votes of any candidate in Logan County, Nebraska, with 55.6% of the vote.

Disputes with DNC and state Democratic parties
Phillips has objected to being left off the primary ballots of several states by their respective Democratic parties, including in Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Phillips filed challenges with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and these state parties and has stated that he is considering legal options to regain ballot access. In these states, there is no explicit filing process with the state Democratic parties to be placed on the ballot, only assumptions that campaigns would correspond with state parties to obtain ballot access for primaries.

The Florida Democratic Party's executive committee voted to cancel their primary at the end of October 2023 and declare Biden the winner ahead of a November 30 filing deadline, saying that they had not heard from Biden's challengers. Phillips criticized the cancelled primary as "intentional disenfranchisement" and a "blatant act of electoral corruption". Phillip's campaign showed CNN copies of two letters that it had sent on November 7 to the Florida Democratic Party while the Florida Democratic Party said that it had not heard from them until November 22, while acknowledging that "there’s no requirement for presidential candidates to do anything to get on the ballot". Under Florida law, state parties are allowed to decide who to include on their primary ballots. An independent, third party lawsuit has been filed against the Florida Democratic Party in order to include candidates other than Biden.

The Tennessee Democratic Party decided to list only Biden as a ballot option for its primary after a November 11 meeting, where they affirmed that Biden's campaign was the only one that had reached out that could be properly vetted before their deadline. Phillips has challenged their decision by submitting over 3,000 signatures in a petition to the Tennessee Secretary of State on December 5, potentially overcoming the party decision.

The North Carolina Democratic Party acknowledged receiving requests for ballot access from Phillips and other candidates, but chose to only include Biden for its primary, stating that other candidates failed to meet standards for inclusion, such as media recognition and advocacy, having a donor base, and active campaigning in the state.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin left Phillips off the ballot; he appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on January 26, 2024. The court unanimously ruled on February 2 that Phillips should be included on the ballot.

On November 9, 2023, asserting that his campaign was hampered by ballot access policies and a lack of candidate debates, Phillips issued an apology to Bernie Sanders, regretting his previous disbelief towards Sanders's 2016 campaign's complaints of biased rules by the DNC governing the presidential primary. When asked for comment, Sanders responded, "He's changed his views now that he's a candidate? I'm not getting involved in this."

Phillips accused representatives of the Biden campaign of pressuring liberal media outlets to not platform him.

Criticism of Kamala Harris
In an interview with Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic on November 21, 2023, Phillips questioned the competency of vice president Kamala Harris should she succeed to the presidency. He says that while he has had "thoughtful" interactions with her, others have told him that "she is not well prepared, doesn't have the right disposition and the right competencies to execute that office." He also referenced Harris's approval ratings and poll numbers, which are lower than Biden's. Phillips received pushback from Harris supporters, including his congressional colleagues Robert Garcia and Lisa Blunt Rochester; Garcia stated in a tweet that he should "keep the VP’s name out of his mouth and apologize." The next day, Phillips apologized to Harris on social media for referencing opinions of others in contrast with his personal experience.

Primary results
Phillips received 19.9% of the vote in New Hampshire, a state that awarded no delegates due to violating calendaring rules, coming in second behind a write-in campaign for Joe Biden. Phillips received only trifling support in South Carolina (1.7%) and Michigan (2.7%) and was not on the ballot in Nevada. On Super Tuesday, Phillips came in third to Marianne Williamson or uncommitted in most other states. In Phillips' home state of Minnesota, he received 7.8% of the vote, and came in third behind Biden and uncommitted. As of May 19, Phillips is currently the second-place person in terms of delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Four delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago have been awarded to him. Three delegates were awarded from Ohio, and one delegate was awarded from Nebraska. He received the most votes of any candidate in Logan County, Nebraska, with 55.6% of the vote. In the Oklahoma Democratic presidential primary, Philips received a plurality in Cimarron County. In the Missouri Democratic presidential primary, Phillips tied with Biden in Clark County. In the California Democratic presidential primary, Phillips received 2.8 percent of the total votes cast, with 100,284 votes.

Endorsements
Phillips received his first endorsement from New Hampshire state representative Steve Shurtleff, who stated his main reason for doing so was Biden allowing the Democratic National Committee to attempt to strip the state of its first in the nation status. Shurtleff stated in January 2023 that he would endorse a candidate other than Biden if this were to occur. Phillips also received an endorsement from Tom Schamberg, New Hampshire state representative from the 4th district, Merrimack.

Andrew Yang has consistently expressed support for Phillips' campaign since soon after its launch, and co-hosted a campaign event with him in New Hampshire on January 18.

In January 2024, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said that he was supporting Phillips' campaign, donating $1 million to his We Deserve Better campaign PAC.

More notable individuals that endorsed Phillips are angel investor and podcaster Jason Calacanis, political and corporate strategist Steve Schmidt, and Jeffrey P. Weaver, political strategist and former campaign manager for Bernie Sanders.

Newspapers that endorsed Phillips are New Hampshire Union Leader and The Detroit News.

Israel–Palestine
Phillips is pro-Israel. He supports a two-state solution and has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to Palestinian statehood. Phillips has defended Israel against accusations of apartheid.

Phillips has criticized Biden's handling of the hostage crisis during the war between Israel and Hamas. In a November 2023 interview with Abby Phillip on CNN, he stated that he would not accept the ceasefire, which mandates the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel during a four-day break in fighting. Phillips called it "absurd, shocking, and dismaying" that American hostages are still being held in Gaza, stating he would not agree to the deal unless "every single American citizen" was released.

Abortion
Philips is pro-choice and said that he is "angered and devastated" by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Dean is a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus in Congress. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, he supported bills to protect women's reproductive rights, including HR 8297 and HR 8111, which aim to ensure access to abortion and reproductive health care across states, and HR 3755.

Healthcare
On December 20, 2023, Phillips signed on as a co-sponsor of the Medicare for All Act. This marked a departure from his earlier position on healthcare; he said that he had previously been "convinced through propaganda that [single-payer healthcare] was a nonsensical leftist notion". He cited a confluence of factors that shifted his view in support of Medicare for All, including his experience caring for his daughter who had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, the financial strain of providing health insurance to his employees as a business owner, and the dynamics of representing a congressional district which included the headquarters of UnitedHealth Group as well as many residents who struggled to access healthcare.

Climate Action
Dean has been a prominent proponent of legislative measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, addressing the impacts of climate change, and fostering the development of more resilient communities in Congress. Furthermore, he has displayed his support for and contributed his vote to the climate investments integrated within the Inflation Reduction Act., Dean co-sponsored HR 2307, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, and HR 8395, the EPA Regulatory Authority Act of 2022.

Immigration
Dean advocates for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform, including a streamlined procedure for individuals seeking lawful entry into the country.

Jobs and the Economy
Dean has a diverse business development and oversight background, encompassing experience with start-ups and progressive advancement within his family-owned enterprise, Phillips Distilling. His journey culminated in assuming the leadership of the organization. Dean subsequently played a key role in the development of Talenti Gelato.

Equity and Restorative Justice
Dean is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus in Congress.

Public Safety
Dean championed the Pathways to Policing Act, which aimed to provide funding to enhance officer recruitment efforts.

Public Education
Dean is a cosponsor of the IDEA Full Funding Act. Dean has expressed that he supports intensive mentoring programs for new teachers.

Suspension of campaign
On March 6, 2024, following losses on Super Tuesday, Phillips suspended his campaign and endorsed Joe Biden.

Following the first presidential debate on June 27, 2024, Phillips was asked to comment on Biden's performance. He responded: "Gandhi said to speak only when it improves upon the silence."

Despite defeating Phillips, Biden would later withdrawal from the 2024 U.S. Presidential election on 21 July 2024. On the same day, but also shortly before, Biden ended his re-election campaign, Phillips urged Democrats to hold an "immediate" vote of confidence on Biden in a Wall Street Journal column and Face the Nation interview amid the growing concerns about his re-election chances. Despite claiming that he still endorsed Biden, Phillips also stated in the Face the Nation interview that “it is time to step aside and turn this over to a new generation.”