House Democrat Excoriates ‘Rudderless’ Party After 2024 Election: ‘Totally Devoid of Leadership’
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) described the Democratic Party as “rudderless” and without any real leadership Saturday during an interview with Politico.
The 55-year-old , who mounted a failed primary against President Joe Biden earlier this year, commented on the state of his party as he prepares for a voluntary retirement from politics.
“We are totally devoid of leadership,” Phillips said in what Politico described as an “exit interview” after three terms in the House. “We are rudderless.”
Politico’s Nicholas Wu asked Phillips about his attempt to primary Biden and if he would have remained in Congress if the president had stepped aside before July.
“Before you launched your primary challenge to President Joe Biden, you tried to get other Democrats to run,” Wu said. “Had Biden stood down or someone else jumped in, do you think you’d be about to start serving your next term in Congress rather than retiring?” Phillips replied:
I know one thing for certain, and that is, we would have been much better positioned to win this last presidential election and probably win the House. That’s absolute. Whether I would still have stood for another term in Congress, I’m not sure. I was not thrown out. I didn’t have to leave, and frankly, I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t know there was an outstanding, very able, competent successor waiting in the wings. And that’s Kelly Morrison.
But the answer is, ultimately, yes, I probably would have served another term. That was my plan, to serve at least one more term. But it’s important for people to know, I left on my own accord. There was no ultimatum.
Phillips said when he challenged Biden for his party’s nomination that he respected the president but felt he was too old and that a younger generation of leaders needed to step up.
He also blasted Democrats for losing working-class voters to Republicans in 2024.
“It’s astounding, and that was ceded to them by people that have prioritized things like tenure over talent, identity politics over pragmatic problem-solving,” he told Politico. “It’s as simple as that, but it takes leadership.”
Phillips also said he would not rule out returning to public service at some point in the future.
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