Democratic congressman who ran against Biden citing ‘physical decline’ defends his decision: ‘Vindication’
Phillips ran in the Democratic Party primary against President Biden
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential campaign against President Biden, defended his decision to oppose his party's leadership in a recent interview despite criticism.
Phillips announced in 2023 that he will not seek re-election in 2024. The decision came after he ran a long-shot primary challenge against Biden. While his campaign was unsuccessful, the Minnesota congressman used his media engagements to shine a light on his concerns with Biden's age.
"We are totally devoid of leadership. We are rudderless," Phillips said in an interview with Politico.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential campaign against President Biden, defended his decision to oppose his party's leadership. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"If what I feel now is vindication, it’s awfully unsatisfying," Phillips said. "I felt vindicated the day I announced my campaign, because I knew this was not an opinion. This was a fact. The fact was, he was not in a position to win. The fact was his approval numbers were historically low. The fact was his physical decline was real. And the only vindication I cared about was my own, and I’m saddened that I’m vindicated. I would have much rather traded that vindication for success, and that’s why I’m so utterly disappointed in many of my colleagues and our party."
Phillips became a pariah within the Democratic Party for a time after he launched a longshot primary campaign against Biden late last year. He had argued for months beforehand that the 81-year-old president needed to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Phillips told Politico that following President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party needs a "comprehensive turnaround."
Phillips said that Biden's "physical decline" was real and should not have been ignored by the Democratic Party. (Chip Somodevilla)
"A party that consists of multiple silos and campaign committees and outside groups cannot strategically do its job, and that means leadership," Phillips said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And in my presidential campaign, I regret that I wasn’t able to generate a platform to really wake people up to this nightmare into which we sleepwalked," he said.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser, Elizabeth Elkind and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.