Dean Phillips is embracing his role as the underdog in his debut against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
The Minnesota congressman is just one of 23 candidates vying for the nomination but he’s running with a message of unity and bringing together people from all corners of the Democratic Party.
“I’m the longshot and I’m standing on the shoulder of many giants coming before me,” Phillips said during a policy address last week in Minneapolis.
Phillips has been largely overshadowed in the race by Biden’s decades of experience and his ability to garner huge name recognition. Still, he’s managed to carve out his own policy space and make a few appearances on national platforms, including the late-night talk show circuit.
Phillips has staked out a unique policy that puts him in direct contrast with Biden: he’s in favor of Medicare-for-all and a public option, instead of the Obama-Biden policy that Phillips calls a “flawed approach”.
Phillips has used this message to cast himself as the progressive alternative to Biden, though the two candidates have plenty of overlap in their economic and social policy outlook.
Despite the longshot status, Phillips’s challenge has kept him within striking distance of the future leader of the party, and even if he’s not the eventual nominee, he could still be influential in laying the groundwork for the Democratic platform.
