November has seen a slew of lawmakers opt to retire from their seats in the House, but only one is foregoing another term to seek the highest seat of power.
Rep. Dean Phillips announced Friday that he would not seek a fourth term in Congress while running for the White House in a primary clash with President Biden.
Mr. Phillips, Minnesota Democrat, said that his first inclination to run for public office came after former President Donald Trump’s win in 2016.
“Seven years have passed, each presenting historic opportunities to practice a brand of optimistic politics that repairs relationships and improves people’s lives,” Mr. Phillips said. “We have met those moments, and after three terms it is time to pass the torch.”
Mr. Phillips, 54, who previously was chairman and co-owner of Talenti Gelato and is the heir to a Minnesota distilling business, is spending his own multimillion-dollar fortune on his presidential campaign.
He has said that although Mr. Biden had done a “spectacular job,” he is challenging him for the nomination because of Mr. Biden’s advanced age and fears Mr. Biden would lose to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has dominated the frontrunner position in the GOP presidential race. He has regularly commanded a 30-plus point lead against his closest rivals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Polling suggests that should Mr. Trump maintain his grip and face his old opponent, he would win.
Mr. Phillips has a lot of ground to make up against the leader of his party. Mr. Biden will not appear on the ballot in the early primary state of New Hampshire, but 65% of voters in the state said they will write his name in, according to a University of New Hampshire poll for CNN.
Mr. Biden also has another Democratic challenger to deal with, author Marianne Williamson, but the field seeking to oust the incumbent president shrank when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. switched to the Independent ticket for president.
Mr. Phillips was not the only Democratic lawmaker to announce their retirement from the lower chamber this week. Reps. Tony Cardenas and Anna Eshoo, both of California, announced their intentions to leave Congress at the end of their terms.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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