Rep. Dean Phillips has suspended his long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and endorsed President Joe Biden for reelection.
"I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again - because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options," Phillips wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. "But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be."
"To all who supported my effort, thank you. We will continue the important work to ensure a more responsive, democratic, and generationally diverse political system," he added in his post on X, formerly Twitter. "But today, in light of the stark reality we face, I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That's Joe Biden."
Phillips jumped in the race in October, motivated by polls showing tepid support, even among Democrats, for President Joe Biden. Phillips had previously urged other Democrats better positioned to take on Biden to challenge the president, but no one answered his call.
The Minnesota Democrat had little name recognition on the national stage and failed to gain any traction with voters. He was largely ignored by the Biden campaign while several Democrats on Capitol Hill criticized him for running.
Phillips, 55, seemed to be discouraged Tuesday night, writing on X, “Congratulations to Joe Biden, Uncommitted, Marianne Williamson, and Nikki Haley for demonstrating more appeal to Democratic Party loyalists than me.”
He was not the only candidate, nor the first, to end their campaign after Super Tuesday. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley suspended her bid for the Republican presidential nomination earlier Wednesday, though she did not endorse her rival, former President Donald Trump.