Before A Single Vote Is Cast, Biden Challenger Dean Phillips Says He’s ‘Already Won’ In New Hampshire

NASHUA, New Hampshire — Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is running a longshot primary campaign against President Joe Biden, told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday that he’s “already won” the first-in-the-nation primary a day prior to voting.

Phillips launched a presidential bid in late October, citing concerns over the lack of options in the Democratic primary, as well as Biden’s age and electability against Donald Trump, who has a massive lead in the Republican primary. The congressman declared a moral victory in New Hampshire to the DCNF for providing what he views as an alternative to a “weak” candidate, taking a shot at Biden for not being on the ballot in the state at a campaign event with the Rotary Club of Nashua. (RELATED: Could Biden Actually Lose The New Hampshire Primary?)

“I think we’ve already won the New Hampshire primary, because what’s going to happen tomorrow is going to show a weak candidate who’s not electable, and a candidate with momentum going around the country sharing a new vision of getting this country on the right track, common sense and decency,” Phillips told the DCNF. “And in that respect, I think we’ve already won.”

Phillips has spent the majority of his campaign in New Hampshire, where Biden is not participating due to the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC’s) new primary calendar that sought to push back the Granite State and put South Carolina first. Despite not being on the ballot, there is a significant write-in campaign effort for Biden in New Hampshire.

The congressman’s presidential campaign launched a website titled “Not in New Hampshire,” to encourage voters not to write in Biden’s name on the ballot Tuesday, as well as a TV ad of Big Foot searching for the president in the state.

The RealClearPolitics (RCP) average for the New Hampshire Democratic primary, based on polls conducted between Jan. 1 and Jan. 20, indicates Biden would still win the state with 62.7% support as a write-in candidate, followed by Phillips’ 10.7% and self-help author Marianne Williamson’s 5.3%. Nationally, Phillips is in third place behind Biden and Williamson at only 3.3% in the RCP average.

After fielding questions from members of the Rotary Club of Nashua over the economy, foreign policy and more, Phillips asked the crowd for his vote.

“I’m a proud Democrat. I intend to see this through. I intend to tell you the truth. I intend to say the quiet part out loud, because both parties have gone wayward,” Phillips said. “And I would ask for your consideration tomorrow. I would ask for your consideration. Yes, we’re a longshot. Darn right I am. Thank goodness we live in a country in which the longshot can have [a] platform. And, but for all of you and this great state, I never could have even tried. So thank you for practicing democracy, protecting it, preserving it, promoting it and showing this country what really matters.”

Phillips’ campaign has struggled to get on the ballot in other states like Florida and North Carolina, with the respective Democratic Parties only putting Biden on their tickets.

The congressman frequently warns of the polls that show Trump leading Biden nationally and in crucial battleground state surveys, as well as the president’s lagging approval ratings. 

Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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