Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., speaks at a news conference about the Invest to Protect Act outside the Capitol on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Rep. Dean Phillips, the Minnesota Democrat who is challenging President Joe Biden for his party’s presidential nomination, announced Friday that he will not seek re-election to Congress in 2024.
“After three terms it’s time to pass the torch,” Phillips said in a statement.
“No party has a monopoly on solutions, and we must stop fighting each other and start fighting for each other — before it’s too late,” Phillips said in a statement Friday. He warned that America was in the grip of “a crisis of cooperation, common sense, and truth.”
“The future is so bright, as long as we have the courage and make the decision to seek it. Keep the faith!” he said.
The congressman’s call for unity may not resonate with his fellow Democrats, some of whom have criticized Phillips since he made a longshot primary bid against the incumbent last month.
Biden, who announced his own re-election campaign months ago, has rarely commented on Phillips’ challenge.
“Congressman Phillips voted for nearly 100% of President Biden’s policies, and the President will miss his support for the Biden-Harris legislative agenda,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement to NBC. News on Friday.
Phillips said he is running for president to strengthen the Democratic ticket in light of polls showing low approval ratings for Biden and his administration.
Several recent surveys have found former President Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner in the 2024 Republican primary, beating Biden in several key key states.
CNBC previously reported in November that Phillips was seeing little support from major donors in his home state of Minnesota, and some of his early financial backers had asked to return their donations.
On Wednesday, Phillips issued an apology telling The Atlantic that he had heard “from others who know him” that Vice President Kamala Harris was “unprepared, undisposed and unqualified to perform the role of that.”
After the comments prompted a Democrat backlashPhillips wrote to X that he “shouldn’t have consulted other people’s opinions,” adding that he apologized to Harris “and everyone affected by similar events.”
Phillips flipped Minnesota’s blue Third Congressional District in 2018 and won the most elections in 2022 by double digits. Democratic National Committee member Ron Harris last month announced a primarily campaign for Phillips’ district.
Phillips is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. His current term in the House ends on Jan. 3, 2025.
