Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to Congress next year as he pursues a long-shot challenge against President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2024.
“[After] three terms it is time to pass the torch,” Phillips said in a statement, echoing the argument for generational change he has called for in his primary bid against Biden.
Phillips formally launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nod last month in New Hampshire. He told CNN he was compelled to challenge the president – whom he called “terrific” – over his concerns that Biden would lose a general election rematch against former President Donald Trump due to the incumbent’s age and low approval ratings.
He has faced significant intraparty opposition to his candidacy as Democrats seek to unify around the president, fend off spoiler independent candidates and lay out the administration’s accomplishments to voters.
But Phillips, an heir to a Minnesota distilling business and former chairman of Talenti Gelato, has also vowed to invest as much of his multimillion-dollar fortune as it takes to win.
Phillips was first elected to Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers the wealthy suburbs around Minneapolis, in 2018. He unseated a Republican incumbent by 11 points in a district that had not elected a Democrat to the House in more than half a century. He handily won reelection in 2020 and 2022.
Prior to Phillips’ announcement Friday, Minnesota state Sen. Kelly Morrison and Democratic National Committee member Ron Harris had declared plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the 3rd District.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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