Dem
51
GOP
49
Rep. Dean Phillips (DFL-MN) has told House Democrats that he plans to run against Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination. Phillips is a millionaire businessman who founded a gelato company. Gelato is good stuff, so he made a lot of money. He could use it to self-fund his campaign. Of course, House Democrats might tell him in no uncertain terms that all a run would do is help Donald Trump win the presidency, something Phillips doesn't want. Probably what he wants is more than the 15 minutes of fame everyone is entitled to. His colleagues may talk him out of it, but there is a good chance he will run.
Running would consist of filing to get on the ballot in New Hampshire. If Biden is not on the ballot there and the only Democrats are Phillips and Marianne Williamson, he might be able to win the primary—unless Biden's supporters in New Hampshire organized a serious write-in effort. Phillips' beef with Biden is that the president is too old.
Some Democrats are none too pleased with Phillips. One of them, Ron Harris, a member of the DNC, has indicated his displeasure by filing to run against Phillips in the DFL primary in Phillips' MN-03 district. The district is north, west, and south of Minneapolis and is mostly suburban, with a bit of farmland around the outer edges. It has a PVI of D+8. Harris' pitch is going to be that Phillips is disloyal and that he, as a DNC member, can be counted on to be loyal to Biden and the Democrats. Consequently, this stunt could cost Phillips his seat in the House without turning it over to a Republican. (V)