EXCLUSIVE: Dean Phillips says last night’s elections prove ‘we don’t have a Democratic Party problem, we have a Joe Biden problem’ as he files to run against 80-year-old president in the South Carolina primary

Rep. Dean Phillips, who is challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, said last night’s election results prove that “we don’t have a Democratic Party problem, we have a Joe Biden problem.”

Andy Beshear, the Democratic governor of Kentucky, won re-election in the deep-red Southern state, Democrats won the full General Assembly in Virginia and Ohio voters protected abortion rights and legalized marijuana.

At the same time, exit polls from Ohio showed that as many as 72 percent of voters did not think the 80-year-old Biden should run for president again. Of those who voted in favor of abortion rights and cannabis, only 25 percent wanted Biden on the ballot next year.

“The polls predicted almost perfectly last night. And the polls predict that Joe Biden will lose Donald Trump,” Phillips told DailyMail.com in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “And there is a huge disconnect between the political-industrial complex and those who make their living there, and the American people who are – in some cases literally – screaming that they want an alternative.”

Phillips took another step Wednesday to challenge Biden by declaring his candidacy for the Democratic primary in South Carolina, where the president will appear on the ballot.

The Minnesota moderate launched his presidential campaign on October 27 by running for office in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire.

On Wednesday, Rep. Dean Phillips continues his presidential campaign by running for office in the South Carolina primary

Biden will not appear on the ballot there because of a dispute over which state should hold its primaries first, giving Phillips an opening.

Biden supporters are organizing a write-in campaign so the president doesn’t look weak in New Hampshire, which will hold its unsanctioned primary before Democrats in South Carolina have their say.

Phillips’ late entry into the Democratic primary meant he missed Nevada’s filing deadline, but he said he was able to secure a spot on the ballot in Michigan and is working to get on the ballot in other states as well.

“When Bernie Sanders complained for so long about the DNC and the rigged Democratic Party, I thought he was just a sore loser,” Phillips said.

‘I have to eat crow now and be honest that I understand. I misunderstood and now that I see this firsthand, it’s true,” he continued.

He accused Democrats of voter suppression, candidate suppression and debate suppression.

Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear was re-elected Tuesday night, while Democrats took control of the full Virginia General Assembly and Ohio voters voted to protect abortion rights and legalize pot.

Phillips cited some of the Ohio exit polls from Tuesday night. One such figure is that 72 percent said they did not want President Joe Biden to run for president again. Those same voters voted to protect abortion rights and legalize marijuana

The Democratic National Committee has long said there would be no Democratic primary debates because an incumbent president is running for the White House. The Republicans have also not allowed primaries to take place if they have control of 1600 Penn.

“And if I’m being honest, I’m going to shine a light on it, and I’m going to relentlessly try to dismantle that, because it’s a pervasive, dangerous disservice to American democracy,” Phillips said. “I’m really disappointed by what I see.”

He credited Sanders’ supporters after the independent Vermont Party lost the 2016 Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton with making some structural moves that “might be the difference in our campaign.”

As for the rest of the party, Phillips remains tight-lipped about who has spoken to him behind closed doors, but said almost “all” Democrats have privately shared major concerns about Biden.

‘I don’t want to hurt my colleagues, who all think the same. If I say it all, it’s probably – I shouldn’t say that, I’m sure some people are literally convinced that the president is going to win one way or another,” Phillips said.

“But the overwhelming majority – I’m not just talking about Congress – within the Washington political-industrial complex. Those close to the president. Those, you know, those in lobbying firms, those in Congress, the staff, the members, this is not news to anyone.”

He said the only thing that has changed is that Biden’s polls have become more dismal.

“Of course, people talk to me in quiet tones and in the halls and chambers of Congress on a regular basis,” he said. “The only difference is that I say the quiet part out loud.”

However, Phillips has had some company lately.

Former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, who failed to win a Senate seat last year, said Tuesday ahead of the election that neither Biden nor Trump should run for office again.

He said Biden’s exit from his 2024 re-election campaign would be “the right thing to do” – allowing him to pass the torch to the next generation and focus his energies on resolving the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.

“I wish there were more Democrats like Tim Ryan,” Phillips said, applauding the ex-congressman’s comments.

Phillips said he has had no contact with the Ohio Democrat about possible help in his bid against Biden.

‘I would love it if Tim wanted to work with me. “I haven’t had that conversation with him, but I think he’s very fond of him,” Phillips said.

Obama adviser David Axelrod also said Biden needs to think about whether he is running for re-election for himself or for the good of the country. The terrible New York Times/Siena College poll in which the Democrat trailed Trump in five of the six swing states.

In his interview Wednesday, Phillips also urged the president to resign.

“Take me aside: If the president were to cement his legacy and pass the torch today, I can almost guarantee that Democratic voters across the country will choose a candidate who will defeat Donald Trump. Period,” Phillips argued.

“Whether that’s me, or whether that’s (Michigan Governor) Gretchen Whitmer, or whether that’s any other number of candidates who would definitely be in the race, which, by the way, I’m still inviting them to,” he said.