Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., is stepping down from his House Democratic leadership role over his party’s support for President Joe Biden to be the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. According to Axios, Phillips is relinquishing his role as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Caucus after unsuccessfully calling for a younger viable challenger for the primary election.
Phillips has been among several younger lawmakers calling on the parties to make way for the next generation of leaders.
“Increasingly, we are devoid of a generation that has the competency to deal with issues like artificial intelligence, like fintech issues, like climate issues,” Phillips said in response to Sen. Mitt Romney’s, R-Utah, retirement announcement.
Romney cited his age and his desire to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders as his main reasons for leaving a Senate seat that he would have been favored to win. Romney also called for Biden and former President Donald Trump to make way for the next group of leaders.
“The fact that at the end of a second term, I would be in my mid 80s and I think it’s time for guys like me to get out of the way and have people of the next generation step forward,” Romney said.
Congressman Phillips, 54, has not ruled out running against Biden, but has called on Democrats with more national attention to step up.
“I am concerned that something could happen between now and next November that would make the Democratic Convention in Chicago an unmitigated disaster, and for a party that is acting as the adults in the room, thank goodness, I am concerned we are not as it relates to our electoral strategy,” Phillips said.
Phillips has drawn criticism from other Democrats for his stance. Still, according to a CNN poll released in September, two-thirds of Democratic-leaning voters agree with Phillips.
According to the survey, the voters want a different candidate as the Democratic nominee. Half of the voters said that Biden’s age is the main issue. However, when respondents were asked who should replace Biden as the nominee, no person polled over 3%.
Despite calling for a younger nominee, during a radio interview in 2022, Phillips called Biden “a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion of empathy and of strength.”
Phillips said he will step down as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Caucus to avoid unnecessary distractions as the primary grows closer while remaining a member of the Democratic Caucus.
