Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips lost to President Joe Biden in more than a dozen states’ Democratic primary elections on Tuesday night, including in his home state, where he finished a distant third.
In Minnesota, Phillips got just under 8% of the vote and finished behind Biden and “uncommitted.” Seventy percent of Minnesota primary voters backed Biden and about 19% chose uncommitted. Activists angry with Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza urged Minnesotans to vote uncommitted in protest.
Among his own constituents in Minnesota’s west-suburban Third Congressional District, Phillips got about 14% of the vote, far behind Biden and just barely ahead of uncommitted. The third-term congressman said he’d evaluate the results of Tuesday’s elections and make a decision soon.
“While Democratic Party loyalists are clearly, consistently, and overwhelmingly registering their preference for Joe Biden, it doesn’t alter the reality which compelled me to enter the race in the first place; Donald Trump is increasingly likely to defeat him in November,” Phillips said in a text message to the Star Tribune Wednesday morning.
“I’ll be assessing [Tuesday’s] results and all available data over the coming days before making a decision about how I can best help prevent that tragedy,” he said.
Phillips was once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. U.S. House Democrats elected him to a leadership position that gave him an influential say in their messaging. In Minnesota, some speculated he could one day run for governor or U.S. Senate, a notion Phillips shot down.
The congressman openly admitted he “torpedoed” his promising political career by going against the incumbent president and the Democratic establishment. His campaign drew the ire of some of his constituents and fellow elected Democrats in Minnesota, some of whom he feuded with publicly.
Phillips launched his presidential campaign in late October but struggled to gain traction and maintain a distinct message. His best showing came in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary in January, where he received about 20% of the vote but still lost by a resounding margin to Biden, who wasn’t on the ballot but was written in by his supporters.
On the campaign trail, Phillips stuck to his core message that Biden is too old and politically unpopular to win re-election, but he also made some missteps along the way.
He was criticized for alleged campaign finance violations; for removing language about diversity, equity and inclusion from his campaign website; and for hiring a consultant who later commissioned a fake Biden robocall that urged New Hampshire residents not to vote in their state’s primary election. Phillips condemned the robocall and his campaign said he had no knowledge of it and that the consultant acted on his own accord.
Phillips further angered Democrats and confused political observers by repeatedly flirting with the idea of running as a third-party presidential candidate if he lost to Biden.
It was a puzzling turn for a congressman who was previously considered pragmatic and disciplined.
The Minnesota Democrat vowed to continue his campaign as long as he could but acknowledged the difficulty of doing so if he couldn’t raise enough money.
In mid-February, Phillips announced he had to lay off many of his campaign staff. After losing Michigan’s primary election on Feb. 27, he told the Star Tribune he was shifting to a volunteer-based campaign.
In Minnesota on Tuesday, some of Phillips’ constituents chose not to vote for him.
Susan Asinger, 80, said she voted uncommitted and was disappointed in Phillips for mounting an intraparty challenge against Biden.
“While it may have been fine to have an alternative candidate, it was too late by the time he entered the race,” Asinger said after voting at Wayzata City Hall. “We need to be strong as a party for Biden.”
She added that she hoped Phillips would end his campaign after Super Tuesday and get behind Biden.
“I think he owes the party that,” she said.
But Phillips won some fans, too. Orono High School senior Audrey Gratton voted for the first time at Wayzata City Hall on Tuesday and chose the congressman.
“[He’s] the person I thought would be the best candidate,” said Gratton, 18. “I would like someone not as old as Joe Biden in office, and I don’t agree with Donald Trump’s point-of-view.”