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Biden's would-be primary foe gets his own primary opponent at home [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2023-10-13  

DNC member Ron Harris announced Friday that he'd run for the House seat held by Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips even though his fellow Democrat has yet to say if he'll wage a longshot primary bid against President Joe Biden. The 3rd District, which is based in the western Minneapolis suburbs, was swingy turf until the Trump era, but it moved rapidly to the left following the 2016 election. Phillips himself unseated GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen 56-44 in 2018, and Biden carried the current version of the constituency in a 60-39 landslide two years later.

The state's June filing deadline, which is always one of the latest in the nation, would allow Phillips to turn around and seek reelection in the 3rd District should his White House dreams crash and burn, but Harris made it clear he was willing to go up against the congressman if necessary. The new candidate, who would be the first Black person to represent a seat based in the Twin Cities suburbs, blasted Phillips' presidential flirtations by tweeting, "There’s too much at stake to weaken President @JoeBiden w/ critiques that miss the point."

The new contender previously served as chief resilience officer for the city of Minneapolis, which is entirely in Rep. Ilhan Omar's 5th District, and he now chairs the DNC's Midwestern Caucus. However, Harris acknowledged to the Star Tribune that, while he grew up in the boundaries of the 3rd, "I currently live a mile outside the district." His campaign added to The Messenger that Harris would be moving back to the 3rd and that "[r]ight now Ron does everything in the district except sleep."

Phillips, though, responded to Harris' entry by writing, "As a MN-03 voter myself, I prefer candidates who actually live in the district, but competition is good for democracy and Everyone’s Invited!" The congressman also told the Star Tribune, "I don't fear primaries; I actually encourage them," and that he would decide if he'd wage one against Biden "in the next few weeks."

There are plenty of other Democrats who could run for this seat, but so far no other notable names seem ready to join Harris in challenging Phillips. Both Secretary of State Steve Simon and state Rep. Zack Stephenson say they could run for the 3rd, but only if the congressman doesn't try and hold it.

Click here to stop Republicans from snatching the Senate!

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