All aboard the Dean Phillips Express!
An eagle-eyed driver spots a campaign bus reserved for the Democratic congressman from Minnesota, who is preparing a late primary challenge to President Biden after spending months bemoaning the lack of internal opposition to the 80-year-old commander-in-chief.
Longtime Twin Cities reporter Jason DeRusha tweeted Dean Phillips’ photo Tuesday morning of the President’s bus, which he said was sent to him by a friend from the road in Ohio.
“The bus says ‘Make America Affordable Again’ and uses [Phillips’] slogan ‘Everyone’s Invited!’” tweeted DeRusha, who added that Phillips’ campaign website was registered on Oct. 12, though not yet live.
Politico reported late last week that Phillips, 54, was expected to announce his candidacy this Friday, the deadline for candidates to file in the New Hampshire primary.
INVITED: The Dean Phillips bus for President is already on the road. Photo from my friend Amy Waller, who sells German wine, on the road in Ohio. The bus said “Make America Affordable Again” and used its slogan “All Invited!” The website is not live, but was just registered on 10/12. pic.twitter.com/cT44n4Eo0x
— Jason DeRusha (@DeRushaJ) October 24, 2023
A Post inquiry to a Phillips spokesman on Tuesday was referred “to the campaign,” which did not immediately respond.
Phillips’ apparent emphasis on New Hampshire recalls the strategy of another Minnesotan, Senator Gene McCarthy, who nearly upset President Lyndon Johnson in the 1968 Granite State primary run on an anti-Vietnam War platform. McCarthy’s strong showing triggered a series of events, including the nomination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, that led Johnson to decide not to seek a second full term.
Although Phillips has been a reliable vote in Congress for administration policy, he resigned from the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee earlier this month in apparent preparation to announce his candidacy.
Phillips has been vocal about wanting Biden to have more primary challengers.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“My convictions regarding the 2024 presidential race are not aligned with the majority of my caucus, and I feel it is appropriate to step aside from the elected leadership to avoid unnecessary distractions at a critical time for our country,” Phillips said at the time.
Phillips previously said that Biden should not run for a second term, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” in August that “Democrats are telling me that they want, not a coronation, but they want a contest.”
“If we don’t heed that call, shame on us,” Phillips added. “And the consequences, I believe, will be disastrous. So, my call to those who are in good standing, willing, honorable and capable, they know who they are, to jump in because the Democrats and the country need competition. It makes everything better. That is my call to them now.”
Biden is the Democratic frontrunner in the primary, but some strategists have raised concerns about independent candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.REUTERS Phillips is pictured next to Biden at the 2021 Congressional Baseball Game.Rep. Dean Phillips/X
Currently, Biden’s only challenger for the Democratic nomination is self-help author and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Biden with 70.3% support nationwide, with Williamson at 9%.
A pair of polls released last week by Quinnipiac University and CNBC put Biden’s job disapproval rating at 56% and 58%, respectively, among US adults.
Meanwhile, a CNN/SSRS poll taken in late August found that 67% of registered Democrats and Democratic supporters think the party should choose a different candidate for president next year.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
