LACONIA, NH — Dean Phillips has little time to persuade New Hampshire voters to dump President Joe Biden before the novelty of the Minnesota congressman’s insurgent primary campaign wears off. If it is not done yet.
Voters in this legendary presidential testing ground have a way of humiliating candidates, especially political unknowns who launch campaigns that no one in particular is clamoring for.
“I don’t know what his values are. I don’t know where his background is. I don’t know anything about him yet,” said Julie Hughes, a retired executive assistant, who spoke with Phillips at a restaurant in Concord. .
Phillips, 54, took his case to another part of New Hampshire on Saturday, the second day of his first tour, determined to do the politically impossible: defeat an incumbent president from his own party.
“The fundamental problem is the simple fact that Joe Biden will lose the next election if the status quo remains in place,” Phillips said in an interview. “And besides, if it’s not Donald Trump, he’ll lose even more.”
What’s unclear is exactly how Phillips would do better. His moderate, problem-solving politics and enthusiastic campaigning style have served him well in his suburban Minnesota district. In New Hampshire, where questioning powerful politicians is as new as going to a Saturday matinee, Phillips is already alienating the kinds of people he would normally need most.
“I just don’t understand why he’s running, especially because I don’t think it helps anyone,” said Kathy Sullivan, a former Democratic National Committee member from New Hampshire who is supporting Biden.
Phillips is energetically throwing himself into the state’s presidential process, describing his journey as personally invigorating. At first, his approach seems more scattershot than strategic, placing the content he offers within a global call for change and speaking for an exhausted majority.
“Typically a president runs on a policy agenda that he can never achieve 90 percent of and he knows that, it’s true,” Phillips said. “I’m advocating reparations, because if we don’t, we can’t solve any of these other political problems.”
His campaign bus is filled with memories and family photos, centering his life story in his appeal. On the first day of his campaign, members of the media filled many seats. By the next day, those numbers had dropped significantly.
Normally, when a major candidate is running for president, the path in front of the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office is lined with fervent and enthusiastic local supporters. For Phillips, it was more of a mix of energetic Minnesota allies and a few curious onlookers.
Moments later, during his speech at the State House, the television cameras, friends and onlookers seemed to outnumber the New Hampshire voters present to hear him. The congressman’s team had taken the time to distribute flyers encouraging people to attend the event.
“He’s unknown; he’s from the Midwest,” said Laura Miller, a voter who works for a nonprofit and has been open to Phillips. “Starting this late and being relatively unknown is a challenge.”
New Hampshire has long hosted the nation’s first presidential primary. This was threatened after Biden finished fifth in the state’s primaries in 2020; National Democratic leaders then agreed to revamp the state’s first calendar and knock New Hampshire off its perch. That put the state’s Democrats in the awkward position of defending a candidate who supports doing away with one of their most important traditions.
“Why are Democrats supporting Biden? Out of a sense of duty, not passion,” said Fergus Cullen, former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and Dover City Council member. “He won’t be on the ballot (in the New Hampshire primary) and that’s a risk because it creates an opening for someone, almost anyone, to fill a void.”
New Hampshire officials are sticking with state law intended to ensure the state holds the first presidential primary, which would challenge the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Biden is running for re-election but did not run in the state’s primary, with his campaign citing the need to follow DNC rules.
While Biden, 80, is expected to only be a write-in option, next year’s New Hampshire primary isn’t poised to make much impact with just Phillips and lesser-known candidates, including author Marianne Williamson, on the Democratic ballot. Voters’ growing disenchantment with Biden is likely the only way Phillips can make a tangible impact.
“We need a new face and a new vision and I think Dean has the promise of being that,” said Tom Finn, a dentist.
Defying the president could end Phillips’ career, although the Minnesotan has tried to make it clear that he would support Biden if the incumbent becomes the party’s nominee.
Ken Martin, president of the Minnesota DFL, didn’t mince his words about Phillips in an interview. He called the congressman’s defiance disappointing to those who believed in him.
“We are frustrated, to say the least, disappointed that this rising star in the Democratic Party has decided to squander his political capital on a wild goose chase,” Martin said.
The same day Phillips ran in the New Hampshire primary, Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz launched a fundraising email for Biden’s re-election campaign that included what appeared to be a jab at Phillips.
“You know, I have to say this about Minnesota: It’s a great state, full of great people,” Walz said in the email. “And sometimes they do crazy things. Like setting the world record for the most basketballs thrown at the same time (it’s true) or winning the most WNBA championships (go Lynx!). And sometimes… they put on political shows. But that’s for another email.”
The heart of Phillips’ hastily prepared campaign is New Hampshire. He spent the first two days of his race immersing himself in retail politics, greeting children dressed in Halloween costumes as they trick-or-treated outside businesses in Manchester on Friday before passing the Saturday speaking to the people of Laconia.
“It’s great that he chose to come forward,” Lindsay Murphy, a child and family therapist, said after meeting with Phillips.
When he launched his campaign in Concord, Phillips signed a guest book in the visitors’ center of the New Hampshire State House, just in Trump’s name. When the former president signed, the Republican presidential candidate wrote, “I love New Hampshire.”
Phillips added below: “Me too. »
Sitting on the campaign bus Saturday, Phillips called for generational change and spoke of the need to restore trust in government.
“I would say that it is not since the Abraham Lincoln era, nor since the Johnson-Nixon era, that the country has needed a repairman in chief… more than today,” he said. he declared.
On the front of the bus was a mantra that Phillips proudly displayed in his congressional office.
It carried a coherent and simple, slightly salty message.
“SILENCE is better than bullshit.”
Star Tribune reporters Ryan Faircloth and Glen Stubbe contributed to this report.
