Eyes on 2024: Biden defender takes on Biden critic in Minnesota

Ron Harris, a Democratic National Committee member who once worked for the city of Minneapolis, announced Friday that he’ll challenge Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., in the primary for his congressional seat next year.

Phillips has emerged as a vocal critic of President Joe Biden’s re-election bid, telling Politico back in February, “Considering his age, it’s absurd we’re not promoting competition but trying to extinguish it.” Phillips has even considered challenging Biden in the primary himself. 

As recently as September, Phillips said, “I haven’t ruled it out.”

Phillips is one of the few Democrats willing to publicly criticize Biden’s age, though the September NBC News national poll showed it’s a major concern for all voters.

Biden is the oldest president to ever be elected and would keep that title if he wins again next year. But, if former President Donald Trump — who is just three years younger than Biden — wins the GOP nomination for president and beats Biden, he would take on that record.

In other campaign news…

Rivals respond: Some of former President Donald Trump’s rivals for the GOP nomination criticized his recent comments that Hezbollah is “very smart” and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “let us down,” per Politico.

An Opportunity for DeSantis and Haley: Representatives from Haley and DeSantis’ campaigns will make their cases on Friday to a group of GOP donors, known as the American Opportunity Alliance, that are looking for a Trump alternative, NBC News’ Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen report.

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Haley-mentum? Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley saw a slight increase in support in the latest Fox News poll, but Trump is still dominating the field with support from 59% of the GOP voters surveyed. 

Arguing on the airwaves: Haley and tech entrepreneur Ramaswamy traded barbs in separate Fox News interviews last night, NBC’s Gregory Hyatt and Katherine Koretski report. Haley pushed back on Ramaswamy’s earlier comments that she’d like to get rich off the war in Israel and Ramaswamy accused host Sean Hannity of mischaracterizing what he said. 

More charges for Menendez: Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is facing new charges relating to bribery and accusations that he acted as a foreign agent to benefit Egypt. Menendez has not yet said if he is running for re-election next year. Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who is challenging Menendez in the primary, called on the Senate to expel Menendez amid the new charges.

Gold in California: California Democratic Rep. Katie Porter’s Senate campaign announced Thursday that she raised $3.4 million in the third fundraising quarter, per a press release.

Ruben’s run: Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is looking to engage Native American voters in his campaign for Senate in Arizona, per the New York Times.

Abortion on the ballot: Advocates working to put a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in Florida are concerned that national Democrats are not engaged in the effort and are abandoning them given Republicans’ recent successes in the state, per NBC’s Dixon.