Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) launched a quest to become president in late October. Less than four months later, that journey could already be coming to an end.
Phillips, 55, finished a distant third in the South Carolina Democratic primary, drawing 1.7% support, behind President Joe Biden, who drew 96.2% of votes and won all 55 delegates, and self-help guru Marianne Williamson at 2.1%.
The Minnesota congressman gave up a House leadership position to run for president, insisting that Biden was too old to win and saying he tried to convince several other people to run before pursuing it himself when they all declined.
Phillips invested heavily in the New Hampshire primary, which the Democratic National Committee boycotted in favor of South Carolina, and said Biden had abandoned the state’s voters and that they should throw their support elsewhere.
But even in the Granite State, where Biden wasn’t listed on the ballot and where he did not campaign, Phillips pulled in just 19.6% of primary voters.
He has vowed to stay in the race until at least April and called on Democratic voters to “wake up” following the South Carolina results.
“Who got whooped? I did,” Phillips said on MSNBC’s The Weekend, but he contended that should be seen as a warning sign to voters, pointing to a slew of competitive national and swing-state polls that show former President Donald Trump is leading in key battlegrounds that could decide the race in November.
“I respect Joe Biden. He should have passed the torch,” Phillips added. “This was not a mission for me. But someone had to do this,” he said, referring to a need for the Democratic Party to be “moving forward.”
Phillips has accused Biden and the DNC of engaging in “suppression tactics” to keep him off the ballot and said the moves to jettison New Hampshire in favor of Biden-friendly South Carolina show the party does not embrace democracy as strongly as it claims.
He scored a minor victory last week when the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that he could be listed on the state’s Democratic presidential primary ballot.
The Minnesota congressman still holds that his party is “acting in a very irresponsible and dangerous manner,” but it appears that not enough Democrats share his views to have an effect on the election.
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Even if he’s unlikely to make much noise, turnout in the South Carolina primary could be a sign that Phillips has a point about Biden. Turnout in the contest was an abysmal 4%, raising concerns about excitement for November.
“No, I don’t think we’re building a new blue wall,” Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said following the contest. “We’re just trying to be inclusive in the South. Democrats are trying to be competitive in the South.”
