Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential marketing campaign in opposition to President Biden, defended his choice to oppose his social gathering’s management in a latest interview regardless of criticism.
Phillips introduced in 2023 that he won’t search re-election in 2024. The choice got here after he ran a long-shot major problem in opposition to Biden. Whereas his marketing campaign was unsuccessful, the Minnesota congressman used his media engagements to shine a light-weight on his issues with Biden’s age.
“We’re completely devoid of management. We’re rudderless,” Phillips mentioned in an interview with Politico.
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Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential marketing campaign in opposition to President Biden, defended his choice to oppose his social gathering’s management. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)
“If what I really feel now’s vindication, it’s awfully unsatisfying,” Phillips mentioned. “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 actual fact was, he was not able to win. The actual fact was his approval numbers have been traditionally low. The actual fact 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 reasonably traded that vindication for fulfillment, and that’s why I’m so completely upset in a lot of my colleagues and our social gathering.”
Phillips grew to become a pariah inside the Democratic Get together for a time after he launched a longshot major marketing campaign in opposition to Biden late final 12 months. He had argued for months beforehand that the 81-year-old president wanted to go the torch to a brand new technology of leaders.
Phillips informed Politico that following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Get together wants a “complete turnaround.”
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Phillips mentioned that Biden’s “bodily decline” was actual and mustn’t have been ignored by the Democratic Get together. (Chip Somodevilla)
“A celebration that consists of a number of silos and marketing campaign committees and out of doors teams can’t strategically do its job, and which means management,” Phillips mentioned.
“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 mentioned.
Fox Information’ Paul Steinhauser, Elizabeth Elkind and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.
