Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential marketing campaign in opposition to President Biden, defended his determination to oppose his celebration’s management in a current interview regardless of criticism.
Phillips introduced in 2023 that he is not going to search re-election in 2024. The determination got here after he ran a long-shot major problem in opposition to Biden. While his marketing campaign was unsuccessful, the Minnesota congressman used his media engagements to shine a lightweight on his issues with Biden’s age.
“We are completely devoid of management. We are rudderless,” Phillips stated in an interview with Politico.
Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential marketing campaign in opposition to President Biden, defended his determination to oppose his celebration’s management. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg through Getty Images)
“If what I really feel now’s vindication, it’s awfully unsatisfying,” Phillips stated. “I felt vindicated the day I introduced my marketing campaign, as a result of I knew this was not an opinion. This was a reality. The reality was, he was not able to win. The reality was his approval numbers have been traditionally low. The reality was his bodily decline was actual. And the one vindication I cared about was my very own, and I’m saddened that I’m vindicated. I’d have a lot somewhat traded that vindication for achievement, and that’s why I’m so completely upset in a lot of my colleagues and our celebration.”
Phillips grew to become a pariah inside the Democratic Party for a time after he launched a longshot major marketing campaign in opposition to Biden late final yr. He had argued for months beforehand that the 81-year-old president wanted to cross the torch to a brand new era of leaders.
Phillips advised Politico that following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party wants a “complete turnaround.”
Phillips stated that Biden’s “bodily decline” was actual and shouldn’t have been ignored by the Democratic Party. (Chip Somodevilla)
“A celebration that consists of a number of silos and marketing campaign committees and outdoors teams can’t strategically do its job, and meaning management,” Phillips stated.
“And in my presidential marketing campaign, I remorse that I wasn’t capable of generate a platform to essentially wake folks as much as this nightmare into which we sleepwalked,” he stated.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Elizabeth Elkind and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.
