An advocate for ballot access for Rep. Dean Phillips’ (D-MN) campaign lost a Florida court case this week, with his name being taken off of the Democratic Party presidential primary ballot this week. The representative is running a long-shot primary challenge to President Joe Biden.
A Florida attorney sued to allow Phillips and other Democratic presidential hopefuls on the ballot against the president. The Florida Democratic Party declined to hold a primary election in the state this year, which is legal. However, Phillips challenged the decision.
Phillips and author Marianne Williamson held their own debate in New Hampshire earlier this month. During the event, Phillips sharply criticized the Democratic National Committee and what he described as hypocrisy.
The candidate said that “Joe Biden is a risk to democracy.” He argued that the Democrats were allowing Biden to run in the 2024 race “in which his approval numbers and his poll numbers make it almost impossible for him to win.”
Phillips also argued, and Williamson agreed that Biden should have been at the debate. He added that Biden was taking primary voters for granted ahead of the first nominating contests.
Supporters of the Democratic representative criticized the media coverage of their candidate, describing it as aiding the Biden campaign.
“I don’t think there’s an MSNBC viewer that even knows that I’m a congressman, because what’s being portrayed is designed to prevent that education.” @michaelschaffer calls out the crazy non-coverage of @deanbphillips in Dem media. Where’s the town hall? https://t.co/taPlsI28Re
— Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) January 12, 2024
Phillips’ campaign is widely seen as a longshot, with most of the Democratic Party establishment circling around the former president. A number of other states restricted primaries in favor of nominating conventions.
Phillips is currently the only federal elected official to run against Biden. The president was challenged by activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
However, Kennedy also alleged that the Democratic National Committee was conspiring against his candidacy and left the primary race. Instead, he announced an independent bid for the White House.
Despite being a third-party candidate, polls that include Kennedy regularly show him taking in more than 10% of the general election vote against Biden and former President Donald Trump.
