The only Democrat to announce plans to run against Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential nomination has hired a former Minneapolis lawmaker who supported a movement to abolish the city’s police department.
Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips announced Oct. 26 that he would challenge the current president in the Democratic primary.
The 54-year-old, who is among the richest members of Congress, has enlisted the help of a former Minneapolis city council member who supported calls to dismantle the city’s police force following the killing of George Floyd in June 2020.
Alondra Cano, 42, said “the Mpls Police Department cannot be reformed” but is now part of Phillips’ presidential campaign despite his opposition to the “Defund the Police” movement.
Leading Democrats criticized his ambitious attempt to run against Biden for the 2024 presidential nomination.
Democratic Dean Phillips, who has announced plans to run against Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential nomination, has hired a former Minneapolis lawmaker who supports a movement to abolish the city’s police department
Alondra Cano, 42, said “the Mpls Police Department cannot be reformed” but is now part of Phillips’ presidential campaign despite his opposition to the “Defund the Police” movement
The former Minneapolis City Council member supported calls to disband the city’s police force following the killing of George Floyd in June 2020. Pictured: Riots in Minneapolis, May 2020
Phillips is making a long-term bid for the 2024 presidential nomination, hoping to offer the Democratic Party a younger, more energetic alternative.
He has decided to include Cano in his campaign, despite his opposing views on law enforcement issues.
She was the first Latina elected to the Minneapolis City Council, and in the days following Floyd’s death in the city, the politician took to social media to express her views.
Cano wrote on an official account: “A veto-proof majority of the MPLS City Council has just publicly agreed that the Minneapolis Police Department is beyond reform and that we will end the current policing system.”
However, a question about replacing the city’s police department with a public safety department failed to pass in a citywide vote in 2021.
This led to a split among Democrats in Minnesota. Cano announced in December 2020 that she would not seek re-election to her council seat.
Phillips has highlighted his support for police and asked for help with law enforcement recruitment during his time in Congress.
In his last two congressional elections, he was endorsed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, which represents a large number of officers in the state.
“Dean’s leadership strategy was clear in his announcement – his goal is to build a diverse team that includes all voices at the table,” his campaign said in a statement.
Cano was the first Latina elected to the Minneapolis City Council, and in the days following Floyd’s death in the city, the politician took to social media to express her views
In an official account, she wrote, “A veto-proof majority of the MPLS City Council just publicly agreed that the Minneapolis Police Department is beyond reform and that we will end the current policing system.”
“And just like our campaign, where a broad range of opinions can produce the best ideas for our country’s future, Dean is committed to bringing diversity of voices and thought to the White House.”
In response to concerns about Cano and her views on policing, his campaign added that the congressman’s “record on this issue is clear.”
“He supports the vast majority of law enforcement officers who perform difficult and dangerous jobs to protect the people of this country,” the statement said.
“He has also made clear that we need reforms that end the disproportionate killings of people of color, particularly Black Americans, in encounters with law enforcement.”
Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020 during an arrest by white officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis.
Footage of the incident showed Chauvin kneeling on his neck for several minutes, sparking protests across the United States and around the world against police brutality and racism in law enforcement.
Chauvin was convicted of killing Floyd and is serving a 21-year sentence in a federal prison in Arizona.
Biden’s campaign team, as well as his supporters, allies and surrogates, have been quick to point out that Rep. Phillips has voted with Biden most of the time and that they are unable to figure out what he is offering that is different from the president.
However, critics claim that age and the physical and mental fitness aspect alone might be enough to give him a small dent.
“We have a responsibility to take a close look at these numbers, listen to what the American people are trying to tell us and act accordingly,” Phillips said of a recent poll between Biden and Trump.
Although polling has not been extensive since Phillips’ announcement in late October, they have not yet shown he has a chance of making an upset against Biden.
In fact, he doesn’t even seem able to outperform his Democratic front-runner, Marianne Williamson.
A Morning Consult poll released last week shows a whopping 69 percent gap between Biden and Phillips, with 73 percent saying they would vote for the current president and just four percent dropping out.
Williamson also came in at four percent in the same poll.
has reached out to Phillips and Cano for comment.