House Democrat Implores Party Colleagues to ‘Jump In’ and Primary Biden, Warns of ‘Disastrous’ Consequences if No Other Dems Run

A House Democrat who is weighing a 2024 primary bid against President Joe Biden is encouraging his party colleagues to take the plunge as well.

Appearing on Face the Nation Sunday, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) said that while he personally is still considering a run, his party colleagues should not hesitate to “jump in” — citing a recent New York Times poll which found a majority of Democrats are looking for more choices.

“Democrats are telling me that they want not a coronation, but they want a competition,” Phillips said. “The New York Times poll from this week shows 55 percent of Democratic voters want some alternatives to the current people in the primary.”

The congressman warned, “If we don’t hear that call, shame on us. And the consequences, I believe, are going to be disastrous. So my call is to those who are well positioned, well-prepared, have good character and competency — they know who they are — to jump in. Because Democrats and the country need competition.”

Currently, only Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson are running against Biden in the Democratic primary. Though Kennedy had a brief polling surge which brought him into the 15 percent range, that wave appears to have recently crested — and both he and Williamson are widely-considered to be fringe candidates. (Indeed, Rep. Phillips said of Kennedy “I don’t believe him to be a Democrat.”)

Phillips, to be clear, was effusive in his praise of both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I love the man,” Phillips said. “He is competent, he is honorable. His integrity, I believe, is unvarnished.”

But, he added, “This is not about him. This is about listening to people. And I’m afraid in this bubble here in Washington, people get real tone deaf real fast. And we should be listening. That’s what this is about. It’s my call to action.”

Watch above, via CBS.

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com