Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., said he doesn't think Joe Biden should run for president again in 2024, the strongest public remarks so far from a congressional Democrat against a second Biden term.
"I have respect for Joe Biden ... despite some mistakes and some missteps, despite his age, I think he’s a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion, of empathy and of strength," Phillips said in a radio interview on WCCO’s "The Chad Hartman Show" when asked if he wants Biden, 79, to run again.
"But to answer your question directly, which I know is quite rare, Chad, no, I don't," he said. "I think the country would be well served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats to step up."
Asked if he would encourage other lawmakers who share this view to speak out publicly, the 53-year-old congressman, who is seeking a third term, said he thinks most congressional Democrats agree with him that it's time for a new crop of leaders.
"I think Joe Biden has served our country admirably with principle and with decency at a time when we surely needed it," he said. "But I am part of a caucus here in Congress where three top leaders are over 80 years old, where the president will be over 80 in the next election. And I think it's time for a generational change. I'm not too shy to say that I do believe that most of my colleagues feel the same way."
In recent polling, a majority of Democratic voters indicated they don't want Biden to run in 2024. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll earlier this month, only about a quarter of Democratic voters said Biden should be the nominee, while 64% said they think the party should nominate someone else and 10% said they didn't know or refused to answer.
