Minnesota Democrat says he doesn’t support Biden for 2024

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) announced on Thursday that he will not support President Biden should he run for reelection in 2024, arguing that the country would be “well-served by a new generation” of Democrats.

Asked during an interview with WCCO-AM if he would support Biden in a reelection campaign the next cycle, Phillips, the two-term congressman considered to be a moderate, responded “no.”

“I think the country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats who step up,” Phillips added.

The Minnesota Democrat said that while he “has respect” for the president and what he has accomplished in his first term, he ultimately believes “it’s time for a generational change.”

“And I think most of my colleagues agree with that,” Phillips added.

Phillips’s statement comes after a number of dismal polls for Biden, many of which show his approval rating below 40 percent. Some recent surveys have also shown that Democrats want a new face at the top of the presidential ticket come 2024.

A CNN poll released on Wednesday found that 75 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters want someone other than Biden to be the nominee in 2024, and a New York Times-Siena College poll published earlier this month discovered that 64 percent of Democratic voters want a nominee other than Biden.

Biden has said he plans to run for reelection in 2024 if he is in good health, and the White House has been adamant that he intends on vying for another four years.

Asked about the CNN poll on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president “has been clear that he intends to run.”

Still, however, not all Democrats are enthusiastically lining up behind Biden, who is turning 80 this year.

Asked on Monday if she wants Biden to run for reelection, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) refused to answer the question.

“I mean, he’s the president, and he has the right to run for a second term, absolutely, but I don’t want to, I’d rather you not do that, ask that question,” the Missouri Democrat told KSDK News.

Similarly last month, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) would not say if she would endorse Biden should he run in 2024, telling CNN’s “State of the Union” that “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Not all congressional Democrats, however, have shied away from throwing support behind a Biden reelection bid.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday told reporters he would back Biden should he run for another four years in 2024.

“I have said if he runs, I’ll support him,” Schumer said.