U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN), who is running against President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary, likened that party to the Iranian dictatorship following the decision of several states to drop their primary races.
Phillips, who joined the race belatedly after persistently encouraging Democratic governors to come forward for several months, has successfully secured a place on the ballot in multiple states. His primary emphasis has been on New Hampshire, as President Biden will not be participating in the election there, opting instead to commence the primary round in South Carolina.
Phillips has expressed his intention to participate in all available state primaries. However, no fewer than four states have made the choice to cancel their primary processes, so ensuring that Biden is the sole candidate eligible for nomination. The list comprises Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, and Tennessee, and party leaders in several other states have alluded to comparable measures.
ILLEGAL ALIEN GOT IN MY FACE OVER DUST IN THE AIR ON BORDER. I SAID YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO COME
“Still waiting for someone to explain how this is different than Iran’s tactics to guarantee the outcome of elections,” Phillips stated in an X post in response to the actions. “Not a single state GOP party has moved to make Trump the only candidate on the ballot. Utter hypocrisy.”
Still waiting for someone to explain how this is different than Iran’s tactics to guarantee the outcome of elections.
Not a single state GOP party has moved to make Trump the only candidate on the ballot.
Utter hypocrisy. https://t.co/SS9u1nlZl7
— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) January 5, 2024
A recent poll indicates that the level of support for Phillips in New Hampshire has increased significantly, reaching 24 percent. According to a survey performed by American Research Group, 58 percent of respondents continue to support Biden, while Marianne Williamson received a polling result of five percent.
Furthermore, there is a decrease in the number of undecided individuals, with only 14 percent remaining, compared to 23 percent in December.
“Dean Phillips went from 0 to 21% in NH in two months. It’s almost like people want a competitive primary against Biden – and realize that we need a stronger candidate against Trump,” stated Andrew Yang, a former Democratic presidential contender in 2020. “Imagine Trump against a fresh new 54 year old.”
Phillips, who will be departing from Congress upon the completion of his term, has consistently criticized the leaders of his own political party for their handling of the primary process. “A hundred and some people on their executive committee said, we don’t need a primary, Joe Biden will be the nominee and therefore we will hand 250 delegates to Joe Biden,” Phillips said in an interview following Florida’s decision to forgo holding a primary election.
“North Carolina the next week said, you know what, despite the fact that I qualified by simply being a presidential candidate who is in the national news, that’s their only predicate. They decided they don’t need a primary either, that Joe Biden has won, and they will hand their delegates to him,” he further explained. “And these are, this is happening right in front of our faces. And the president has not said a word about it. So I’m concerned that part of what you’re seeing right now is this duopoly working to actually prevent competition, prevent debate, and prevent voters from even opining.”
The scheduled date for the NH Dem primary is January 24th.
Late in December, a federal judge in Arizona rejected the case questioning former President Donald Trump’s qualification to run for president, which is a big legal victory for him. This outcome is particularly important as Trump is currently considered the leading candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
John Anthony Castro, a Republican primary presidential candidate, filed a complaint to challenge Trump’s inclusion on Arizona’s Presidential Preference Election ballot. Nevertheless, Judge Douglas L. Rayes, who presided over the court, determined that Castro did not have the required legal right to file his claim, resulting in the case being dismissed.
The court’s ruling was predicated on the notion of “standing,” a legal doctrine that necessitates a plaintiff to substantiate that they have incurred distinct and tangible injury as a result of the action they are contesting.
Upon examination, the court determined that, at the moment of submission, the available information did not demonstrate that Castro was engaged in direct rivalry with Trump or that he would suffer particular harm as a result of Trump’s inclusion on the election ballot.
In addition, the court determined that Castro’s campaign funding reports, submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), did not substantiate his claims. Based on the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) records, Castro’s campaign disclosed a sum of $678.00 in contributions over the period from January 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023. It is worth noting that the campaign had limited activity in Arizona.
NEW: federal district court dismisses lawsuit seeking to bar Donald Trump from appearing on Arizona's presidential ballot. pic.twitter.com/UNnaaEjhZF
— Arizona Election Law (@azelectionlaw) December 5, 2023
Castro is a relatively obscure individual vying for the Republican nomination in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. In 2021, he ran for election to represent Texas’ 6th District in the U.S. House.
The court document reads, “The facts as they existed at the time Castro filed his verified complaint do not show that Castro is truly competing with Trump or will be injured in any concrete way by Trump’s appearance on Arizona’s Presidential Preference Election ballot.”