Why New Hampshire matters to Dean Phillips' campaign
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Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips listens to a question during a campaign rally on January 20. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips' longshot presidential bid gets its first real test in New Hampshire Tuesday.
What's happening: The three-term Minnesota Democrat is vying to prove his challenge to President Biden has legs in the Granite State's rogue first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary.
State of play: Biden isn't actually on the ballot — a consequence of New Hampshire Democrats' decision to buck the party's new nominating calendar and hold the vote ahead of South Carolina — but his supporters are running a write-in campaign.
Why it matters: Meeting or beating expectations could bolster Phillips' argument that Democrats want — and need — an alternative to the 81-year-old incumbent. A trouncing will all but end the Minnesotan's campaign.
- Recent polls show Phillips trailing the president by anywhere from 22 to 55 percentage points.
What he's saying: Phillips, whose campaign once set a goal of carrying 40% of the vote, has lowered the bar in the final stretch of the campaign.
- He said on WCCO Radio on Monday that capturing 20% or more would be a "huge victory."
The big picture: Even if his campaign is unsuccessful, his increasingly pointed attacks over Biden's age will be fodder for Republicans to use against the president in a general election, Axios' Alex Thompson reports from New Hampshire.
- He sharpened his criticism in the final days before Tuesday's primary, telling Axios that it would be "impossible" for Biden to do the job for four more years.
Zoom in: While some Democrats privately agree with the points Phillips raises about Biden's electability and age, concern and annoyance about the attacks have hurt Phillips' standing in Congress and have made him persona non grata among many top Minnesota Democrats.
- U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are among those who have publicly needled his efforts in recent days.
What we're watching: Phillips, who already announced his retirement from Congress, told Axios he will compete in South Carolina and Michigan and that he intends to stay in the race until the Democratic convention in August.
Go Deeper: Dean Phillips' lonely campaign cuts deeper at Biden's age