Can Rep. Dean Phillips run for Congress again if his presidential bid fails to catch fire?
MINNEAPOLIS — If U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips' longshot campaign to challenge President Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination fails, the Congressman representing the western Twin Cities suburbs can still run for re-election to his current seat.
Minnesota's filing deadline for candidates running for federal office is June 2024, giving Phillips a window to shift his focus from the White House to seeking a fourth term on Capitol Hill if he wants to. What's the likeliness that he would prevail in that case? Larry Jacobs, politics professor at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said while his presidential aspirations are confounding, his re-election for Congress is clearer.
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"Dean Phillips may decide after the lark of running against Joe Biden to jump into the primary in his current district. He's well liked. He's been winning by monstrous margins and it probably would be no problem for him to win the nomination," Jacobs said.
But he does have competition. Even before Phillips launched his bid for president, Ron Harris, a former Minneapolis and Democratic National Committee official, announced that he would run to represent Minnesota's Third Congressional District—regardless if Phillips decides to seek re-election or not.
"I'm bringing a different lived experience to this race and hopefully to Congress—a different lived experience, a different perspective on the world. I believe politics can look different," Harris said in an interview with WCCO.
Harris admits Phillips' presidential campaign created the window to mount a campaign of his own in the district, and he wouldn't have run otherwise. He said he understands the incumbent congressman's concerns about Biden's age, but criticized his decision to jump in the race because he believes it will only hurt the president and endangers Democrats' chances of beating former President Donald Trump, who is the frontrunner in the Republican primary.
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"I think any attempt to weaken President Joe Biden only serves to strengthen Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda. I think it's a direct one-to-one relationship," Harris explained. "Joe Biden will be our nominee for the election, so instead of spending time distracting from that fact, we should be actually building up the coalition."
For his part, Phillips believes just the opposite: that it's Biden's candidacy that could deliver the White House to Trump for a second time, citing his approval ratings as a sign that he is vulnerable. He thinks it's time for a new generation of leaders to step up instead of the 80-year-old sitting president.
Phillips recently stepped down from his leadership position among Democrats in the House, noting his departure from other Democrats when it comes to encouraging primary Biden challengers.
But many other Democrats share the concerns of Harris—and that could cost Phillips his political standing within his party, Jacobs said.
"If Trump were to win, I think you can expect some Democrats pointing the finger at Dean Phillips for this mysterious campaign he's running and that attention that he keeps giving to one of the weaknesses Joe Biden has, namely his age," he said.
Phillips told WCCO in New Hampshire Friday—the day he filed to be on the presidential primary ballot and made his campaign official—that constituent services won't be disrupted as he spends time making his case to voters in the Granite State.
If he decides not to run for Congress again, it would make the Third District an open seat, changing the dynamic to make both a primary and general election more competitive.
"If Dean Phillips decides to not run for reelection for his Congressional seat, it is a big opportunity for Republicans. An open seat in a competitive area is a dream come true for Republicans," Jacobs said. "I think you could expect a lot of money and a lot of work by both Republicans and democrats to recruit high quality candidates who can prevail in that district."
