Dean Phillips overperforms in New Hampshire against Biden with 21% of the vote: Democratic longshot say Joe ‘cannot win’ in 2024 and vows to keep his campaign going

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips vowed to press on after winning about 21 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in New Hampshire.

Phillips and self-help guru Marianne Williamson were the only Democrats to appear by name on the Granite State ballot because of the Democratic National Committee’s decision to skip New Hampshire and put South Carolina first.

As soon as polls closed at 8 p.m., CNN and The Associated Press almost immediately called the race for President Joe Biden as his supporters began a write-in campaign in the state.

“Joe Biden is a good man. He’s a nice man. Yeah, he’s everybody,” Phillips said, when a supporter shouted that wasn’t the case. “He’s our president. But I have to tell you, everyone, he can’t win. The polls say he can’t win, his approval ratings say he can’t win.”

Moreover, Phillips noted, “an unknown congressman from Minnesota” was able to capture just 21 percent. “So I’m here to say, are you ready to keep this baby going?” he asked the cheering crowd gathered at the Millyard Museum in Manchester.

Phillips high-fives a potential supporter while campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday’s primary. The Minnesota congressman said he planned to continue his campaign and participate in the primaries in South Carolina and Michigan

He told supporters that his bid was only ten weeks old, so support could only grow

“And we just won 20 percent tonight and nobody knew who we were 10 weeks ago,” the Minnesota congressman said.

“So I gotta say, man, if we had twenty weeks, watch out!”

Phillips said he would take his campaign to South Carolina for the Democratic primary on Feb. 3 and then to Michigan, where a primary will be held later this month.

In what wasn’t exactly a Dean Scream, Phillips said, “I’ve had so much fun, I don’t know what to do with myself!”

“I don’t have a prepared speech on a teleprompter. We are not that kind of campaign. I answer questions. I like the press, believe it or not. I do debates, I do town halls, I show up and walk in the snow and I meet all of you,” he said.

Phillips said a journalist asked him during a CNN interview before the primaries how it felt to be at 7 percent in the polls.

A sign for Dean Phillips stands in the snow near a polling place in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. The Minnesota congressman received 21 percent of the vote from Granite State Democrats. President Joe Biden’s name was not on the ballot

He said, “I don’t think that’s quite right.”

‘In fact we just did three times better. I’m telling you, if we can go from 7 percent to 21 percent in nine hours, imagine what we can do in the country,” Phillips said.

Phillips acknowledged that Biden had indeed won the write-in campaign — he received about 68 percent of the vote and 80 percent reported.

“Congratulations to President Biden who absolutely won tonight,” he said.

But added: “But certainly not in a way that a strong incumbent president should, but I respect him, he won.”

He also tipped his hat to Williamson.

‘She’s worked hard for this twice now. She gets no media attention. Her proposals are things we all need to think about,” he said of the best-selling author, who was holding her own election night down the street.

“And I think her courage and her tenacity at a time when we need competition and not a coronation should be celebrated by everyone here,” he told his supporters.

The 55-year-old congressman also noted Trump’s victory over the former UN ambassador. Nikki Haley and praised her for staying in the race.

“Tonight I want to honor Nikki Haley for the tenacity she has to stay in this race and still try to take that man down, because you know what? I think that’s necessary,” Phillips said.

“And I think having her in the race and me in the race could be the most important decisions for both of us in our lives,” he added.