(NewsNation) — Former Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips, who gave up his long-shot bid against incumbent President Joe Biden, is now calling for a competitive process to nominate a candidate after Biden withdrew his reelection bid.
Vice President Kamala Harris is at the top of the ticket with multiple endorsements, but Phillips, a Minnesota representative, is proposing a series of town halls to vet potential nominees.
In a Sunday interview with NewsNation, Phillips suggested holding four town halls featuring Harris and three other top candidates chosen by Democratic delegates.
“All I’m calling for is a series of four town halls,” Phillips said. “I think Vice President Harris … is clearly the lead candidate. I think she probably will emerge as the nominee.”
Phillips, a three-term congressman, argued that the party could organize these events quickly, noting that “most countries run snap elections in the period of a month.”
Referring to his election bid, he said, “It was the lack of a competitive process that I was fighting against.”
Phillips praised Biden’s decision to withdraw as “heroic” but expressed concern about the lack of transparency in the party’s decision-making process. He advocated for giving the 4,000 Democratic delegates a mechanism to vet candidates before the convention in August.
While acknowledging Harris as the front-runner, Phillips did not explicitly endorse her. He suggested that governors like Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Andy Beshear of Kentucky could be strong vice presidential picks.
Phillips ruled out another run for the nomination himself, stating, “I have no intention to run. I think my mission has been accomplished.”