(NewsNation) — For the first time this election cycle, President Joe Biden will have a challenger whose name is printed on the same ballot as they face off in this weekend’s South Carolina Democratic primary.
The challenger, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., said Thursday on “The Hill on NewsNation” that American voters have been clear in polls: They want to “turn the page” on Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.
“People recognize that we have two leaders of the past,” Phillips said. “I think it’s time for a new generation, and we’ve got to do better.”
Phillips announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination last year and has been advocating to get on a debate stage with Biden, something the Democratic National Committee has said it will not sanction.
Despite not appearing on the ballot, Biden won the New Hampshire primary last month via a write-in effort. Phillips received a little more than 19% of the vote, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Despite voting with Biden’s policies 100% of the time, Phillips argues the president’s age presents a problem.
“I’ve got some bold plans to reduce costs and end the chaos at our southern border in our cities and around the world. It’s time for peacemaking, not war-making,” he said. “It’s time for a new generation to tackle incoming problems (that) I’m just afraid that men in their 80s are not ready to deal with.”
The southern border and a record number of migrants crossing it are posing major political challenges for Biden, who Republicans and some Democrats have criticized for not doing enough to enforce immigration laws.
If elected, Phillips said he would change the asylum system to require immigrants to apply in their country of origin and then be brought to America if they qualify.
“Right now, we are providing the very incentive for migrants to cross the border that we have to change,” he said. “It’s a disaster. It’s frankly bad leadership.”