Joe Biden's Democratic Rival Lays Off Large Portion of Staff

Democratic presidential hopeful Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota announced in a social media video on Friday that he was laying off a significant portion of his campaign staff.

Phillips is running a long-shot campaign against Joe Biden's 2024 reelection bid. In 2018, Phillips flipped Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District and was the first Democrat to win there since 1958 as he went on to win reelection twice. In late October 2023, the 55-year-old announced he would challenge Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, saying the president should "pass the torch" to a new generation.

Phillips shared a TikTok video on Friday in which he announced the layoffs, adding that it was hard to raise money for his campaign.

"I found it almost impossible to raise enough to do this campaign the way I want, and today, sadly, I had to announce layoffs to a lot of my staff members...amazing people who gave up a lot personally and a lot professionally to join this remarkable campaign," he said. "But I made a promise to them and I'm gonna make it to you, I'm not giving up. I'm gonna continue."

Newsweek has reached out to Phillips' campaign via email for comment.

In the video, Phillips called on supporters to donate so he could stay in the race, reiterating his promises that included giving every American baby $1,000, a move he previously noted in January.

Phillips explained at the time that if elected president, he would provide babies with an American Dream Account at birth, which is a $1,000 endowment that would be added through their high school years.

While the congressman launched his run by saying he respected Biden and largely aligned with his agenda, he raised concerns about the president's historically poor approval rating, saying that he believed the incumbent would lose in November.

While several polls have also shown that a majority of Democrats would prefer an alternative candidate, the Democratic congressman has struggled to make headway since he announced his presidential bid. Earlier this month, Biden won the South Carolina primary election on February 3 defeating Phillips and author Marianne Williamson, who dropped out of the race this month.

The president garnered more than 96 percent of the vote, with Williamson in second at 2.1 percent and Phillips receiving 1.7 percent, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Biden also defeated Phillips in the New Hampshire primary in January with his write-in campaign, which his supporters in New Hampshire launched for him after he declined to appear on the state's ballot over a dispute about its placement in the primary schedule. Despite having to rely on a write-in campaign, Biden won the January 23 election by double digits, amassing more than 63 percent of the votes while Phillips came in second with 19.6 percent, according to results from the AP. Williamson received about 4 percent of the vote, the outlet reported.