Third time not the charm as Biden trounces Phillips in Michigan

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dean Phillips came in last in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary in Michigan, far behind President Biden, author Marianne Williamson — who had suspended her campaign — and “uncommitted.”

With about 85% of the vote counted, Phillips won 2.7%, while Williamson won 3% and “uncommitted” about 13.2%.

After beating Phillips, Williamson on Wednesday said she would jump back into the race.

Biden was expected to prevail on the Democratic side of Tuesday’s primary — as was President Donald Trump on the Republican side. The big surprise was the number of Democrats who cast protest votes because they object to the way Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas war and his failure to press for a permanent cease fire in Gaza.

Sparked by a campaign by Arab and Muslim groups, Michigan Democrats cast more than 100,000 votes for “uncommitted.

Phillips was expected to perform poorly in Michigan, as he has in South Carolina and to a lesser extent in New Hampshire, where he secured nearly 20% of the Democratic primary vote and spent millions of dollars to do so.

Short of campaign cash before the Michigan primary, Phillips was forced to cancel several events and rely on volunteers to help his efforts in the state. His campaign’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission showed it had about $200,000 in cash-on-hand as of Jan. 31, even as Phillips had loaned his campaign $5 million.

Robocall ruckus

Phillips also faced another problem before the balloting in Michigan on Tuesday. A magician in New Orleans said he was asked by Steve Kramer, a former Phillips campaign consultant, to use artificial intelligence to make the imitation of Biden’s voice that was used in a robocall urging New Hampshire Democrats not to vote in the state’s presidential primary.

Related: Besides Biden, Phillips’ greatest challenge is raising campaign money

The Democratic National Committee had stripped New Hampshire of its first-in-the-nation status when it comes to presidential primaries, preferring South Carolina go first instead. The state refused to postpone its primary so Biden did not put his name on the ballot when the voting was held on Jan. 23.  Even so, the president trounced Phillips in the Granite State.

The robocall is being investigated by both New Hampshire and federal law enforcement officials for possibly violating state voter suppression and federal telecom laws.

Phillips has expressed outrage about the robocalls and said he had nothing to do with them.

“I’m disgusted that a consultant hired to assist my campaign w/ballot access is alleged to have faked a robocall impersonating Joe Biden,” Phillips posted on X. “While I don’t know the person, such behavior is despicable and I trust will be investigated by authorities.”

Campaign continues

Before the polls closed on Tuesday, Phillips blamed his expected loss to Biden on what he called the Democratic Party’s anti-competitive hold on voters.

“Joe Biden should receive 90% of the vote today in Michigan, no surprise when a Party pro-actively prevents competition and the majority of primary voters are the party faithful. Nonetheless, to all who take the time to vote in primaries and no matter for whom you vote: THANK YOU!”  Phillips said in a post on X.

That provoked a hostile reaction from many respondents.

“Joe Biden followed the same rules that you had to. YOU’RE ON THE BALLOT. People had the option to vote for you. It’s just that not many did because nobody knows who you are,” one post said.

After the results came in Tuesday evening, Phillips was more conciliatory — and humorous.

“If you resent me for the audacity to challenge Joe Biden, at least you’ll appreciate how relatively strong I’m making him look among primary voters!” Phillips posted on X.

Phillips has indicated he will continue his long-shot campaign despite his losses.

In its shakeup of presidential primaries last year, the Democratic National Committee gave Michigan an early slot because it wanted a diverse Midwestern state to replace Iowa, which before this year held the party’s first primary caucuses.

Michigan is also a battleground state in November’s general election and the state’s large protest vote has concerned Biden backers. Michigan went for Trump in 2016 and for Biden in 2020.

The next presidential primaries will take place on March 5, a contest that is known as Super Tuesday because voters in 15 states, including Minnesota, will cast their ballots for their favored presidential candidate on that day.

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