Whether U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will take up the baton as the top Democratic candidate for Minnesota governor remains a swirl of “if” and “when” a day after Gov. Tim Walz announced he was dropping his bid for a third consecutive term.
Former Democratic presidential candidate and Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips was among the first to call for the party to find fresh leadership, loudly raising the point during President Joe Biden’s failed attempt at another four years in the White House. Phillips joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition to talk about what Democrats need to do to maintain control of the Minnesota governor’s office and what’s ahead in the U.S. Senate race.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button above.
You call yourself a recovering Congressman on X. Does that mean you’re not interested in running for governor or U.S. Senate?
I’ve got to tell you that just the label politician in this day and age is too often cringe-worthy. My new mission is to restore the interest and ambition to serve the general public. I kind of, half-jokingly say I’m in recovery, but I have to tell you, that’s the challenge facing the United States right now. The service on which we rely as Americans has been demeaned and degraded and has become so soul-sucking that I’m afraid we will continue to lose the best and brightest, and be left with the governance that we’re seeing too often in our states, communities and federal government. That’s going to be my focus moving forward.
I’m wondering, could you jump into either race and be a beacon for what you want to see?
I think the only scenario by which I see myself serving in office would be an extraordinary event, like a write-in campaign or something. I’m not offering my name for either office. I do not wish to run, but I do wish to serve and help, and I’ve already offered to assist the next governor — Democrat or Republican — as long as he or she is commonsense and competent and a problem solver.
I want to be helpful, and I encourage everybody listening — friends, family, business leaders, community leaders — to start turning our attention to cooperation rather than condemnation. I’m not running for governor. I’m not running for Senate. There are plenty of people waiting in line and have been on that ladder for a long time, and I’m going to let them have at it, but I do want to help my state and my country, and I’ll be at the ready.
Do you think Gov. Walz did the right thing by dropping out of the race?
Yes, and he should have never offered his name for a third term. I think it is inappropriate. I think eight years should be a maximum. It’s what we established for the U.S. presidency. I think we’re facing a challenge in our country where we have way too many people who protect their political careers at almost all costs.
Gov. Walz did the right thing. I wish he had not run in the first place, but at least it affords others the opportunity to mount credible campaigns. And of course, if Sen. Klobuchar decides to run for governor, it is her race to lose, but I will make the case that I think it’s best that she stay in Washington and be a very high-ranking Minnesotan in a place where we will need one in the future. That’s just my two cents.
What do you think Gov. Walz’s future is within the party?
I don’t see one. Just like Hollywood, American politics can make you a prince one day and a pauper the next, and I’m afraid that’s what's transpired with Gov. Walz. He was a good man, but he’s also been subject to what happens in politics: It compromises principles and the focus becomes on maintaining power rather than improving lives. I know he did both, but I don’t see much of a future in Minnesota or federal politics for Gov. Walz, or, frankly, for myself, and that’s the truth.
What are your thoughts on our current political ecosystem that’s fueled by outrage, intimidation and disinformation, which Walz ran up against?
No party is immune to it. I call it “anger-tainment,” which is, to me, the root of our great crisis right now. And both political parties and most of those who operate in that ecosystem are far more focused on defeating one another than improving our country, state and communities. I’m sick and tired of it, and I’m sure most people listening are as well. I’m turning my attention to investing in programs like the Minnesota Legislative Exchange, which is operated through the Citizens League, based in St. Paul. It’s bringing Democratic and Republican members of our state legislature together to break bread, get to know each other and visit each other's respective districts.
I encourage Minnesotans and Americans to start investing more time in reconciliation, listening and working together rather than defeating one another, because our adversaries are watching with glee as America rips itself apart. It’s time for a new generation of leaders to say enough is enough, and I think that means new faces, new ideas and an end to political careerism, which was not the intent of our founders. I encourage people to read George Washington's Farewell Address, in which he warned his young country in 1796 about the risks of political parties. That is absolutely a very poignant message today.
What do you think of new faces like content creators who are spinning a lot of this disinformation onto the internet, and folks are accepting it as gospel?
It troubles me, and I’m sure it troubles most Minnesotans, but when our country was founded, it was through anonymous pamphlets. It was the same approach, but just using paper instead of screens. And that is part of the long-time American experiment in democracy — nameless, faceless innuendo and criticisms and not anonymity. And that’s something we’re gonna have to reckon with in a time when it's proliferating in ways that clearly are compromising. But with that, it presents opportunities for education, organization and ideation. In that respect, we should be focusing more on leveraging the great power of technology to bring people together, rather than let it rip us apart.
We all play a role, and the only way that we can really change things would be a compromise of our individual liberties and freedoms, and that is the age-old challenge between safety, security and freedom. I don’t think Americans wish to peel back our rights. And if that’s the case, we’re going to have to reckon with this, but we need strong leaders to do it, and that’s why we have to encourage more competent, bright Americans who are not rabble-rousers and bomb-throwers, but rather cooperators, and compassionate ones at that. I know they’re out there, and I want to encourage them to step up and run. We need you now.