Rep. Dean Phillips suggests he's interested in challenging Biden in the primary

Given President Joe Biden's poor polling numbers and his general unpopularity, which is growing even in the ranks of his own party, it's not surprising that some of the more ambitious Democrats out there are smelling blood in the water.

According to the Washington Examiner, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) made an extremely interesting comment about potentially challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination.

In a recent interview with political strategist Steve Schmidt, Phillips hinted at the possibility that he's interested in making a run for the ticket but was cautious how he said it.

"I am thinking about it. I haven't ruled it out," he said, when asked if he'd consider a challenge.

Phillips believes the general voting public isn't interested in voting in Biden or former President Donald Trump and has suggested that the elderly president "pass the torch" to younger, fresher Democratic candidates seen in the party as rising stars.

“I am thinking about it. I haven’t ruled it out ... I’m still encouraging others who I think are better prepared.”

— Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) to Steve Schmidt on “The Warning” about possibly challenging President Biden for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. pic.twitter.com/MdLHcO6xht

— The Recount (@therecount) September 25, 2023

The Examiner noted:

He had encouraged several popular Democratic governors to challenge Biden, but they have instead united behind him. Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), and others are working on behalf of Biden's 2024 reelection despite calls for them to jump in the race.

He admitted that he probably doesn't have the name recognition to make a serious run at this point.

"I think there are people who are more proximate — better prepared to campaign with a national organization, national name recognition, which I do not possess," he explained. "But I do feel strongly, and I have a conviction that it's important for democracy to have choices, to have competition."

He added, "I do still think there's some time for somebody to enter. I'm still encouraging others who I think are better prepared right now to run a great campaign."

Phillips also subtly jabbed Biden's age and glaring public gaffes, warning of a possible "unmitigated disaster" at the DNC next year.

Biden is struggling on the general election front, having recently lost to Trump in an eye-popping ABC News/Washington Post poll that showed Trump beating him by 10 points, the most in any poll to date.

While the 2024 election is still more than a year out, there's growing buzz that the Democratic Party is scrambling to find a way to push Biden -- and probably VP Kamala Harris -- out of the way to give Democrats a strong chance at taking on a formidable Republican opponent like Trump.

Only time will tell what Biden's fate will be.