U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) — who ran a last-minute primary campaign against President Biden after for months calling on him to step aside due to his cognitive decline — is considering a move away from his lifetime party after Vice President Kamala Harris was installed as the Democratic Party presidential nominee without receiving a single vote.
Phillips, who will be retiring at the end of his third term concludes in January, launched his unsuccessful bid last fall. He struggled to get on the ballot in a number of states, though he frequently argued that his bid was aimed at a better outcome for the country.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Phillips stated that he would be open to serving in the next administration regardless of which party wins in November.
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“I didn’t want to run this cycle. I spent two years trying to call attention to something I was seeing clearly with my own eyes,” he said. “I remember my Republican buddies excoriating Donald Trump quietly behind closed doors and then praising him in front of cameras. I saw my Democratic colleagues doing the same thing about Joe Biden, who we knew was in decline, probably going to lose.”
In reference to his unsuccessful White House run, Phillips told Fox News that he “didn’t want to do it,” but “it became evident that our political culture punishes courage, rewards cowardice and silence.”
“Someone had to do it. In two weeks, I put together a campaign to run for president,” he said. “But the message was to try to be a Paul Revere — not a George Washington. It took someone to hand over power, like Joe Biden did, to really make it happen.”
When asked whether he had aspirations to run for president again in the future, Phillips said he just aspires “to help this country in some way, shape or form.”
“This was not about running for president. This was about showing people that it is never too late, and you should sit up and stand up and do something when you feel that something is wrong. And I did that,” he said.
“If there is a way to serve my country in a Democratic administration — in a Republican administration — my goodness, we should all stand up and accept that invitation whenever it is issued,” he told Fox News. “So, you never know.”
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