Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips ends Democratic primary challenge and endorses President Joe Biden

By Will Weissert And Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press on March 6, 2024.

FILE - Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., speaks during a campaign stop, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Manchester, N.H. President Joe Biden dealt challenger Dean Phillips a Super Tuesday defeat, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in the Minnesota congressmanâ€™s own home state. For Phillips, the only elected Democrat to challenge Biden in their partyâ€™s primary, the results from Minnesota and other Super Tuesday states extended his string of defeats. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota ended his long-shot 2024 Democratic presidential bid on Wednesday after failing to win a primary contest against President Joe Biden.

Phillips told WCCO Radio in Minneapolis that he was endorsing Biden.

Phillips, a 55-year-old multimillionaire who is among the richest members of Congress, built his White House bid around calls for a new generation of Democratic leadership while spending freely from his personal fortune. But the little-known congressman ultimately failed to resonate with the party’s voters.

Phillips was the only elected Democrat to challenge Biden for the presidency. Phillips’ failure to gain traction is further proof that Democratic voters are behind the 81-year-old Biden even if many have misgivings about his age or his reelection prospects.

The president has long cast himself as uniquely qualified to beat Donald Trump again after his 2020 win, and his reelection campaign largely ignored Phillips except to point out that he voted with the administration nearly 100% of the time in Congress.

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Weissert reported from Washington.

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