明尼苏达州民主党众议员迪恩·菲利普斯周日表示，他尚未决定是否他将挑战乔·拜登总统的党内提名，尽管他为自己推动其他人这样做辩护出现在哥伦比亚广播公司的《面向全国》节目中。
“我还没有决定，”菲利普斯谈到潜在的2024年竞选时说，鉴于菲利普斯在国家舞台上相对缺乏认可，拜登也是如此，这可能标志着一场艰苦的斗争民主党人的机构支持.
菲利普斯在哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS)上表示，他呼吁在2024年进行严格的初选，因为他认为这是民主党人想要的，并引用了上周的纽约时报/锡耶纳学院民意调查调查发现，与支持总统的人(45%)相比，更多的民主党人(50%)认为民主党应该提名拜登以外的人。
“民主党人告诉我，他们想要的不是加冕，而是竞争，”菲利普斯说。
“如果我们不听从这一呼吁，我们感到羞耻，”菲利普斯补充说。“我认为，后果将是灾难性的。因此，我呼吁那些处于有利位置、准备充分、品行端正、有能力的人——他们知道自己是谁——加入进来，因为美国的民主党人需要竞争。这让一切都变得更好。”
当被问及是否会挑战拜登本人时，菲利普斯说，据报道他是他说自己目前还不适合参选。
“人们应该加入进来，因为我们需要迎接这个时刻，”他说。
拜登竞选团队没有立即回应置评请求。拜登的前白宫办公厅主任罗纳德·克莱恩(Ronald Klain)在社交媒体网站X上为总统辩护，X的前身是Twitter。
“这不是加冕，这是民主党人联合起来，在经济、气候变化、公平、堕胎权等问题上反思@JoeBiden to #FinishTheJob，”Klain写道。
菲利普斯之前曾表示，他不倾向于支持拜登提名为2024年总统候选人。
在这张2022年6月15日的档案照片中，众议员迪恩·菲利普斯在华盛顿特区国会大厦的新闻发布会上发言
比尔·克拉克/CQ-点名公司
2022年7月，菲利普斯在WCCO AM电视台的《查德·哈特曼秀》(The Chad Hartman Show)节目中说:“我认为，新一代令人信服、准备充分、充满活力的民主党人站出来，将为这个国家带来好处。”。
菲利普斯周日对总统大加赞赏，并坚持认为他对挑战者的推动不是专门针对拜登的。
“我爱那个男人。他是有能力的，他是可敬的，他的正直，我相信，是未经修饰的。他领导这个国家度过了异常艰难的时期，”菲利普斯说。
“这与他无关，”他补充道。“这是关于倾听人们的心声。”
拜登是有史以来年龄最大的总统，在第二个任期结束时将达到86岁，他在宣布竞选连任的当天承认，他在决定再次竞选时考虑到了自己的年龄。
“他们将会看到一场比赛，他们将会判断我是否拥有它，”他在四月说，指大众。“我尊重他们认真看待这件事。”
当时，他说，“在我决定参加竞选之前，我认真地看了看它，我感觉很好。我对前景感到兴奋，我认为我们正处于真正好转的边缘，这是很久以来从未有过的。”
拜登目前面临着来自演讲者和作家的长期初选挑战玛丽安娜·威廉森活动家和律师小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪
尽管菲利普斯周日表示希望有一个强有力的挑战者来挑战拜登，他说他反对第三方候选人他可能会在大选中吸引民主党倾向的选票，反对前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)。
菲利普斯也认为副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯是未来白宫的竞争者。
“我认为她绝对有资格。事实上，我认为她被错误地描绘了，”他说，随后补充道，“副总统的工作并不轻松。”
但是他说，如果拜登不再领导民主党，他不认为她是一个明显的继承人。
菲利普斯说:“我们有12名(值得注意的)共和党人作为共和党初选选民的选择。“现在，我们民主党只有三个席位。我相信竞争。我们是民主党。民主意味着做出选择的自由，而我们拥有的选择并不多。”
Democratic lawmaker calls for 'well-positioned' primary challenger to Biden
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips said Sunday he was undecided on whetherhe'd challenge President Joe Biden for their party's nomination, though he defended his push for others to do so inan appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"I have not decided yet," Phillips said of a potential 2024 bid, which would likely mark an uphill battle given Phillips' relative lack of recognition on the national stage and Biden'sinstitutional support among Democrats.
Phillips said on CBS that he is calling for a rigorous primary contest in 2024 because he argues it's what Democrats want, citing last week'sNew York Times/Siena College pollthat found more Democrats (50%) felt the party should nominate someone other than Biden compared to those who backed the president (45%).
"Democrats are telling me that they want -- not a coronation, but they want a competition," Phillips said.
"If we don't heed that call, shame on us," Phillips added. "The consequences, I believe, are going to be disastrous. So my call is to those who are well-positioned, well-prepared, of good character and competency -- they know who they are -- to jump in because Democrats in the country need competition. It makes everything better."
Phillips, when pressed on whether he'd challenge Biden himself,as he has been reported to bepushed to do, said he was not currently "well-positioned" to run.
"People who are should jump in because we need to meet the moment," he said.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ronald Klain, Biden's former White House chief of staff, defended the president on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
"It's not a coronation, it's a coalition of Democrats coming together to reflect @JoeBiden to #FinishTheJob on the economy, climate change, equity, abortion rights, and more," Klain wrote.
Phillips has said before that he wasn't inclined to support Biden's nomination for president in 2024.
"I think the country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats who step up," Phillips said on WCCO-AM's "The Chad Hartman Show" in July 2022.
Phillips did heap praise on the president on Sunday and maintained that his push for challengers is not about Biden, specifically.
"I love the man. He is competent, he is honorable, his integrity, I believe, is unvarnished. He has led this country through extraordinarily difficult times," Phillips said.
"This is not about him," he added. "This is about listening to people."
Biden, who is the oldest person ever elected president and would be 86 at the end of a second term, acknowledged on the day he announced his bid for reelection that he considered his age when deciding to run again.
"They're going to see a race and they're going to judge whether or not I have it or don't have it,"he said in April, referring to the public. "I respect them taking a hard look at it."
At the time, he said, "I took a hard look at it before I decided to run, and I feel good. I feel excited about the prospects, and I think we're on the verge of really turning the corner in a way we haven't in a long time."
Biden currently faces long shot primary challenges from speaker and authorMarianne Williamsonand activist and attorneyRobert F. Kennedy Jr.
Though Phillips said Sunday that wants a strong challenger to Biden, he saidhe is opposed to third-party candidateswho could possibly serve as a spoiler by attracting Democratic-leaning votes in a general election against former President Donald Trump.
Phillips also weighed in on Vice President Kamala Harris as a future White House contender.
"I think she's absolutely qualified. In fact, I think she's misportrayed," he said, later adding that "the job of the vice president is not an easy one."
But he said he does not see her as an heir apparent if Biden were no longer leading the Democratic ticket.
"We have 12 [notable] Republicans as options for Republican primary voters," Phillips said. "Right now, we only have three on the Democratic side. I believe in competition. We're the Democratic Party. Democracy means the freedom to make choices, and we don't have many of them."
