Close Menu
Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Thursday, May 22
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Threads LinkedIn
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Donate
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Politics»What would count as a win for Dean Phillips in New Hampshire?
    Politics

    What would count as a win for Dean Phillips in New Hampshire?

    The long-shot candidate is hoping for 20% of the vote in a state where President Biden isn’t officially on the ballot.
    MinnPostBy MinnPostJanuary 22, 2024Updated:January 24, 20246 Mins Read
    Dean Phillips files for presidency
    In this October 2023 photo, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (left) is surrounded by reporters as he files to run in the Jan. 23 New Hampshire presidential primary. Photo by Paula Tracy/InDepthNH.org

    WASHINGTON — The photo of a slightly dejected and deeply pensive U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips perched on the back of his “Government Repair Truck,” at a hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire, said a lot about the congressman’s campaign for the White House.

    Phillips had invited voters to have coffee with him that Jan. 9 morning, but the only ones who showed up were a few reporters, noted the caption on the CBS News photo. “Sometimes, if you build it, they don’t come,” Phillips told those reporters.

    “Sometimes if you build it, they don’t come,” Dean Phillips told reporters outside of the Manchester DoubleTree hotel this morning, after no voters showed up to his “Government Repair Truck Coffee Conversations” event in 22 degree weather. pic.twitter.com/x0lpVcRSnb

    — jake rosen (@JakeMRosen) January 9, 2024

    The Minnesota Democrat, in his third term in the House, has astounded and angered many in his party with his primary challenge to President Joe Biden, 81, whom Phillips believes is too old and unable to beat former President Trump a second time.

    The success or failure of that insurgent campaign may be determined Tuesday when New Hampshire will hold its primary election and continue its “first in the nation” tradition. However, that primary has not been sanctioned by Biden or the Democratic National Committee because they want a more racially diverse state, South Carolina, to be the first. So, Biden’s name won’t be on the ballot.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn McReavy

    Even so, there’s been a well-funded, vigorous write-in campaign for Biden and Phillips will have to win substantial support, even if it’s short of 51% of the vote, to claim any kind of victory.

    An ‘eternal optimist’

    A few days after Phillips’ unsuccessful offer of coffee and conversation in Manchester, there was a completely different scene when former presidential candidate Andrew Yang headlined a well-attended campaign event last Thursday at a hotel in Hanover, New Hampshire.

    Saying they bonded over common ideas for campaign finance reform, Yang endorsed Phillips and complimented the candidate’s effort to find a younger candidate to represent the Democratic Party in 2024.

    “Dean has the potential to be the most transformative political figure of all time,” Yang said.

    Phillips had tried to reach out to several Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, to urge them to run against Biden. But he said his efforts were unsuccessful.

    “Some of these folks refused to even take his calls,” Yang said.

    Since no one stepped up to challenge Biden, Phillips decided to do so himself.

    He said he has been well-received in New Hampshire among Democrats, independents and even Republican voters who often gave him “high fives” as he visited schools, diners, senior centers and other places to satisfy the requirement of voters in the state who demand face-to-face interactions with presidential candidates.  

    “The only people who haven’t been that kind are Democratic elected officials,” he said.

    But there are signs Phillips may not have the kind of support in New Hampshire he thinks he has.

    A University of New Hampshire/CNN poll released Jan. 9 showed Biden with the support of 69% of likely primary voters in the state, while Phillips had 7%.

    Best-selling author of self-help books Marianne Williamson, who is also on the ballot, was the favored candidate of 6% of those polled.

    Still, Phillips considers himself an “eternal optimist.”

    In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Phillips invoked another Minnesota insurgent: Sen. Eugene McCarthy, whose anti-Vietnam War campaign in 1968 drew 42% of the vote in New Hampshire, a result that prompted President Lyndon Johnson to drop out of the race.

    Phillips said he would be satisfied with a much lower percentage of the vote than McCarthy received. “If we’re in the20s, that would be extraordinary,” he said.

    “We’re going to surprise (people) in New Hampshire,” Phillips said in an email to MinnPost. “Most of the country hasn’t yet tuned into the Democratic primary, and we expect to do well enough to make the establishment pay attention to the people not satisfied with coronation over competition.”

    Even so, Phillips suggested over the weekend that he would be open to running as a third-party candidate under the centrist No Labels banner, telling The New York Times he would only consider it if a rematch between Biden and Trump “shows Joe Biden is almost certain to lose.”

    ‘The quiet part out loud’

    Less than three months from its inception, the Phillips campaign has had its share of controversies.

    The latest was sparked by the removal of the promotion of  “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” on his campaign website after hedge fund investor Bill Ackman — who has criticized Phillips’ DEI stance — pledged $1 million to the candidate’s super PAC.

    Phillips has also been criticized for courting campaign money from the AI industry and hosting phone calls with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has also donated to the candidate’s super PAC.

    His campaign recently added an AI plank that says “we must deploy AI in government operations, weather forecasting, tax return speeds, legislation summaries, public healthcare predictions — wherever we can make an impact and improve outcomes.”

    And when Phillips told the crowd at the Hanover hotel that “we’ve all seen the decline” of Biden, he received a very tepid response.

    “I say the quiet part out loud,” he said.  

    Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, said Phillips could win 100 percent of the vote on Tuesday and still not have any momentum toward the nomination of his party.

    “However, if he won a majority of the vote here — or at least more votes than Biden — Democrats and the media would hit the alarm bell about Biden’s viability in 2024. Which, to my mind, is the whole point for Phillips,” Scala said.

    David Schultz, a professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University, said Phillips could make waves in New Hampshire if he has convinced a lot of independent voters to support him.

    Phillips says his campaign platform has something for everyone. Progressives will like his “Medicare for all” plan and his ideas to end homelessness, he said, while Republicans might embrace his push for more funding for police and tighter border security.

    Schultz said Phillips’ goal on Tuesday should be to “wound Biden badly in New Hampshire so that either Biden decides ‘I’m going to dismantle my campaign,’” or the president is seen as weak enough to encourage another Democrat to enter the race.

    In any case, the contest between Biden and Phillips on Tuesday is expected to be overshadowed by the bitter GOP primary that will also be held that day.

    Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is battling to overtake former President Donald Trump now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the race. DeSantis suspended his campaign Sunday and threw his support behind Trump.

    Editor’s Note: Ana Radelat wrote this story for MinnPost.com. This story was originally published in MinnPost on Jan. 22.

    Radelat is MinnPost’s Washington, D.C., correspondent. 

    MinnPost is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization whose mission is to provide high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

    Comments
    We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleVirginia ‘Ginny’ Wilkening
    Next Article Eagles win three straight before test at top-ranked Tonka

    More to READ

    6 Mins Read

    Former President Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer

    May 18, 2025
    7 Mins Read

    Minnesota’s federal prosecutors zero in on illegal reentry charges under Trump

    May 7, 2025
    2 Mins Read

    Simonetti faces new misdemeanor charge amid Senate bid

    April 16, 2025
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    Giant beaver is one signature away from becoming Minnesota’s state fossil

    May 21, 2025

    Eden Prairie High School program gives seniors a head start on careers

    May 21, 2025

    Shakopee man charged in Eden Prairie sexual assault of 15-year-old girl

    May 21, 2025

    EPHS synchronized swim team advances to state meet

    May 20, 2025

    Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list

    May 20, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    INN Network Member Guidestar Seal
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2025
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.