Dean Phillips
The 2024 presidential field has a new contender – Dean Phillips, 3-term Democratic Congressman from Minnesota.
Dean is 54, which makes him a full 26 years younger than Joe Biden and 22 years younger than Donald Trump. After attending Brown University he got his MBA and ran a family business and then a gelato company – Talenti - that was bought by Unilever. He ran for Congress in a district that hadn’t had a Democrat in almost 60 years. His slogan was, “Everyone’s invited.”
I first met Dean last year at an American Promise event that was about overturning Citizens United. “I’m the only member of Congress who refuses to dial for dollars,” Dean said. “I kind of thought you were here to pass laws, not fundraise.” As you can imagine, I liked him immediately.
Months later, Dean called me in part to relay his concerns about the Democratic primary, or lack thereof. “I support Joe, but I feel like we are playing a very dangerous game in 2024 riding on his health. One bad week and we hand the country to Trump.”
He’s not alone in his concerns. Nearly 70 percent of Democratic voters believe Biden is too old to serve a 2nd term, and 67 percent say they’d prefer another candidate.
So why hasn’t there been a primary challenge with numbers like that, outside of Marianne Williamson, RFK Jr. (since turned Independent) and Cenk Uygur?
The DNC has closed ranks behind President Biden. There won’t be any primary debates and South Carolina – which Joe won – was moved to first in the primary season. The word has gone out to prominent Dems like Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, and JB Pritzker to wait until 2028. And the press hasn’t treated previous challengers to Biden with any legitimacy – indeed, the press has taken turns attacking or ignoring anyone who has tried to interrupt Joe’s glide path.
To Dean’s credit, his first choice was not to run. He openly went around to other figures saying, “Someone more prominent than me should run against Joe, for the good of the country.” Only when no one else bit did he really move toward taking the plunge. “If he were 15 to 20 years younger it would be a no-brainer to nominate him, but considering his age it’s absurd we’re not promoting competition but trying to extinguish it.”
Will Dean actually force a genuine competition?
There are a number of reasons why I think Dean Phillips could do just that.
First, candidates with a reason to run do better. Dean is genuinely on a mission to provide the country a positive alternative to a Trump-Biden rematch that he views as disastrous. He’s not someone who had this planned as a next step. He’s intrinsically motivated and it will show.
Second, he’s a good guy and a strong campaigner. When people see him and hear him they’ll like him. He likes other people too. Believe it or not, that actually makes a difference.
Third, he’s rich, with a net worth of $50 - $80 million. He’ll have the resources to compete.
Fourth, the press is bored. Dean is getting mainstream press coverage like this Atlantic profile and I think that will continue.
Fifth, it’s possible that Dean emboldens another major Democrat to join the primary, which would kickstart a genuine process. Mission accomplished.
Last, Dean is actually giving the American people what they want in a presidential candidate – a sane, moral 54-year old who is a real person. How many people do you know who have wished for just that sort of figure to appear?
Now, it’s going to be an uphill climb as every establishment Democrat has piled behind Joe even though they are nervous about his age in private. There’s a hierarchy that is being upset and it’s not going to take it well. But the mission is noble and has the potential to deliver us into a better future.
I know Dean and admire him. I’ve donated to his campaign. You can donate here.
Is it possible to improve upon the Trump – Biden rematch that so many of us fear is inevitable? At least one person is staking his reputation on the answer being yes, and I hope for all of our sakes that he’s right. I’ll be working to make it so.
