MANCHESTER, N.H. – Dean Phillips inaugurated the Manchester Field Office on Hanover Street for his 2024 Presidential Campaign on Saturday, highlighting a series of events the three-term U.S. Representative from Minnesota held throughout the city.
Surrounded by supporters, Phillips chastised elites in the Democratic and Republican Party believing that anointed candidates should not go before voters prior to a general election.
“We get to make that choice, voters have to believe that they know better than a hundred people in Florida who decide whether or not there will even be a primary,” he said. “Whether the President of the United States can decide to disenfranchise every single Democratic voter and probably half the independent voters in the very state we find ourselves in right now is atrocious. It’s dangerous. And it’s wrong.”
He went on to call incumbent U.S. President and Democratic front-runner Joe Biden a good man and former U.S. President and Republican front-runner Donald Trump a bad man, and said that neither should be the next president.
“Seventy-five percent of the country doesn’t want either of the current leading candidates, who I don’t think will be the leading candidates once we get to next year. But I think it’s kind of strange that out of 535 members of Congress, I would be the only one saying that out loud,” he said.
Phillips stated that he will seek out varying viewpoints if elected, emulating Abraham Lincoln’s “Team of Rivals” Cabinet as well as a tradition he has followed in Minnesota where he regularly invites six Democrats and six Republicans for a meal where they all discuss issues, something he says he mentions at each speech he gives.
After his introductory speech, Phillips took questions from the audience where he stated that he is “150 percent” pro-choice, favors universal firearms background checks, and supports reform of the country’s healthcare and immigration policies. He also repeatedly discussed bringing more positivity into government and everyday life in America.
“We have to restore friendship and decency and kindness and integrity and competency at every level of government,” he said.
At the office opening, he also celebrated the endorsements of Manchester Alderman Bill Barry and New Hampshire State Representative Matt Coker (D-Laconia), following an earlier endorsement by former House Speaker Steve Shurtleff (D-Concord) near the beginning of his campaign.
“As a Democrat who won in the reddest area of New Hampshire, I knew Democrats would need to make changes to remain competitive,” said Coker. “I had given up hope for that change until Dean Phillips stood up. I believe Dean Phillips embodies the energy, charisma, and practical vision needed not only to build a coalition to beat Trump but also to invigorate it and regain crucial voters Biden has been losing. I’m proud to stand alongside him, sending a message to the nation by winning the New Hampshire primary on his path to the White House.”
While the Democratic establishment wants a coronation, Congressman Phillips is giving the residents of Manchester and all Granite Staters a choice in who becomes our next President,” said Barry. “I’m proud to support him and I urge my fellow New Hampshirites to make their voices heard and do the same.”
Among the crowd, several people had driven hundreds of miles to hear him talk, such as New Jersey resident Ulo Palm. Twenty-five years ago, Palm immigrated from Germany and became a U.S. Citizen.
While Palm said that he would support whoever the Democratic candidate is in the general election, he believes that Phillips’ entry into the race would only strengthen the eventual nominee by fostering dialogue on the issues and attention on the party.
“I saw his campaign letters and at first I thought, ‘Dean who?’” said Palm. “Then I started to read about him, made some donations and then I said ‘I need to see that guy who is willing to go against the entire establishment of the Democratic Party and is willing to take on Trump, I need to see him personally.’”
Prior to the opening of his office at the corner of Elm and Hanover Streets, Phillips read books to children nearby at the Bookery and then helped serve customers at Diz’s Café.
Diz’s Café Owner Judi Window has welcomed several Presidential candidates to her establishment since it opened in 2020 and was happy to host Phillips.
“We enjoy all sorts of politics here in New Hampshire, it’s one of the most fun things to do when you own a restaurant, welcoming people in and letting them talk to people,” she said.