Biden notches lackluster victory in Kentucky Democratic presidential primary



While President Joe Biden has already been the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee for more than two months, the incumbent clinched fewer than three quarters of the vote in the Kentucky Democratic presidential primary.

Based on the results reported so far, while Biden earned over 131,000 votes, more than 32,000 people voted uncommitted while more than 11,000 voted for Marianne Williamson, and more than 8,000 voted for Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is no longer running.

Kentucky has been a reliably red state in presidential contests for two decades.

"Kentucky conducts closed primaries. Under Kentucky law, all persons who want to vote in the Democratic Party's or Republican Party's Primary Election must have changed their party affiliation by December 31 of the year prior to the next Primary Election," according to vrsws.sos.ky.gov.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, earned the bulk of the vote in the Kentucky Republican presidential primary.

But while the results currently indicate that Trump earned more than 214,000 votes, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley — who dropped out of the primary earlier this year — earned more than 16,000 votes while more than 8,000 people voted uncommitted, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other former GOP presidential primary candidates also received some votes.

Kentucky has been a reliably red state in presidential contests for two decades, going the Republican candidate in every election from 2000 through 2020.

Incumbent GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who has been in office for more than a decade, easily won his primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District.

"Tonight's victory is a referendum on thousands of independent votes I have cast in Washington DC on behalf of Kentucky's 4th District," he said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing our fight for personal liberty, economic freedom, fiscal responsibility, and Constitutionally limited government."

Massie had joined GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia in advocating to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson from the speakership, but the effort ultimately failed as many Republicans and Democrats voted to table Greene's motion to vacate.

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Nikki Haley — who isn't even running anymore — won a sizable percentage of the Pennsylvania GOP presidential primary vote



Even though former President Donald Trump is already the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, Nikki Haley, who dropped her Republican presidential primary bid last month, won more than 16% of the vote in the Pennsylvania Republican presidential primary, unofficial results indicate.

Haley got more than 157,000 votes while Trump received more than 790,000, according to the unofficial results.

"In Pennsylvania, you can only vote for the candidates in the same political party you have named in your voter registration. For example, if you registered to vote as a member of the Republican Party then you can vote in the Republican primary, but not the Democratic primary," according to vote.pa.gov.

On the other side of the political aisle, where President Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who dropped his primary bid last month, won more than 6% of the vote in the Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary, according to the unofficial results. Those unofficial results indicate that Biden received more than 941,000 votes.

Regarding Pennsylvania's presidential voting history, Trump's victory in 2016 was the lone red island within a sea of blue, as Democrats won the Keystone State in each of the other presidential contests from 1992 to 2020.

Biden, who is already the oldest president in American history, would be 86 by the end of a second term if he were to win re-election later this year while Trump would be 82 by the end of his second term if he were to win the 2024 contest.

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Nikki Haley and Dean Phillips both drop their White House bids



Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican presidential nominating contest on Wednesday, announcing the move after a slew of Super Tuesday losses to former President Donald Trump.

Out of the 15 states with GOP presidential nominating contests on Tuesday, Haley won just one while Trump won the other 14. Prior to that, the only contest she had won during her presidential run was the Washington, D.C., Republican presidential primary.

During remarks on Wednesday, Haley announced the suspension of her campaign.

"In all likelihood, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee when our party convention meets in July. I congratulate him and wish him well. I wish anyone well who would be America's president," she said.

"I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee. But on this question, as she did on so many others, Margaret Thatcher provided some good advice when she said, quote, 'Never just follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind.' It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that," Haley stated.

On the other side of the political aisle, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota dropped his bid for the Democratic presidential nod.

"I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again - because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options. But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be," Phillips wrote in a post on X. "I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That's Joe Biden."

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Marianne Williamson drops out, says 'the level of our failure is obvious to all' but 'a level of success is real nonetheless'



Marianne Williamson, who launched a bid for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination last year, has announced that she is suspending her campaign.

Williamson, whose campaign website describes her as "a bestselling author, political activist, and spiritual thought leader," failed to gain traction against incumbent President Joe Biden, who appears poised to easily lock up the party's 2024 presidential nod.

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"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you don’t win:)…" she wrote in a Substack post. "I appreciate greatly all the incredible people who accompanied me on our political journey over the last ten months. While the level of our failure is obvious to all, a level of success is real nonetheless. We articulated deeper, more authentic truths than those regularly acknowledged by the political establishment."

"Although as of today we are suspending our campaign, our platform - with its deep dive into so many issues - will remain on Marianne2024.com. I hope future candidates will take what works for them, drinking from the well of information that we prepared. My team and I brought to the table some great ideas, and I will take pleasure when I see them live on in campaigns and candidates yet to be created," she wrote.

Williamson previously mounted a White House bid during the last presidential election cycle but ultimately dropped out in early 2020.

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who has also been running against Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, has highlighted Biden's apparent decline over time. "I'm not seeing cognitive decline," Phillips told Sean Hannity, according to reports. "Of course, we're seeing physical and communication decline."

"I'm attacked for being honest and saying the quiet part out loud - the part DC insiders only do in private," Phillips tweeted on Tuesday when sharing two video clips of Biden speaking. "I admire our President. I voted for him and campaigned for him. He has visited my home and been gracious to my family and our country. But shame on all of you pretending everything is ok. You are leading us - and him - into a disaster, and you damn well know it."

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'I'm attacked for ... saying the quiet part out loud': Phillips highlights Biden's apparent decline



Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is running against President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, is calling out Biden's apparent decline over time.

"I'm not seeing cognitive decline," Phillips previously said to Sean Hannity, according to reports. "Of course, we’re seeing physical and communication decline."

Dean tweeted, "I'm attacked for being honest and saying the quiet part out loud - the part DC insiders only do in private. I admire our President. I voted for him and campaigned for him. He has visited my home and been gracious to my family and our country. But shame on all of you pretending everything is ok. You are leading us - and him - into a disaster, and you damn well know it."

In his post, the congressman shared two clips of Biden, including one in which Biden suggested that Mitterrand of France had spoken to him at a G7 meeting. But former French President François Mitterrand died in 1996, and Emmanuel Macron has been that nation's president since 2017.

In another post, Phillips urged people to consider what sort of state Biden could be in five years in the future.

"In 2016, Joe Biden made the wrong decision by not running, and in 2024 he's making the wrong decision by running. It gives me angst, but someone in Washington has to be honest and say what the entire country knows. Compare him at the 2016 convention (link below) to yesterday, and then think 5 years into the future…" the congressman tweeted.

Biden is already the oldest president in U.S. history and would be 86 by the end of a second term if re-elected this year.

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Bill Ackman pledges $1 million donation to boost Biden challenger Dean Phillips



Bill Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, has pledged to give $1 million to help back Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips' White House bid.

"On Tuesday, I am wiring $1 million to wedeserve.org, a political action committee that supports Dean's run. This is by far the largest investment I have ever made in someone running for office, and I am making this investment at a high-risk, but critically important moment for his campaign," Ackman in a very lengthy social media post.

Phillips, a lawmaker from Minnesota, launched a self-admitted long-shot Democratic presidential primary bid last year.

"I met Dean two months ago. I have kept in pretty close touch with him over the last two months, and spent 90 minutes with him yesterday when he presented to nearly all of our employees, which inspired me to top up my initial $3,300 donation to his campaign," Ackman noted.

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Ackman suggested that there is a possibility incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden will have to drop his re-election bid.

"Biden is polling poorly against @realDonaldTrump, and his numbers are only going to get worse as he ages, and he is not looking good as it is. There is also a reasonable chance that Biden is forced to withdraw for health reasons," Ackman opined.

Ackman previously noted that he had already donated to Phillips and several GOP presidential primary candidates. "I have made direct and PAC donations to three Republican candidates in this election, @GovChristie, @NikkiHaley and @VivekGRamaswamy. I recently wrote a check for @deanbphillips," Ackman tweeted. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out last week.

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Democratic presidential primary candidate Dean Phillips accuses Gavin Newsom of 'running a shadow campaign'



Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who last month launched a self-admitted "long shot" bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, has claimed that California Gov. Gavin Newsom of "running a shadow campaign."

Phillips, who made the comment during an appearance on NewsNation, said that as president he would "have a bipartisan cabinet."

Newsom, who recently visited China and Israel, is slated to faceoff against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis later this month during a debate moderated by conservative commentator Sean Hannity. DeSantis is one of the Republican figures currently running in the GOP presidential primary. Newsom has been expressing support for President Joe Biden's reelection bid.

Earlier this month NBC News reported that Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania had accused Newsom of running for president without announcing a bid. "There are two additional Democrats running for Pennsylvania, excuse me, running for president right now," Fetterman reportedly said. "One is a congressman from Minnesota, the other one is the governor of California, but only one has the guts to announce it."

Biden, who is already the oldest president in U.S. history, would be 86 by the end of a second term if he gets reelected in 2024.

"We will not earn peace at home or around the world with elderly leaders occupying positions of power from the West Bank to the West Wing. It's time for change, and we’re going to bring it. Join the DeanTeam and help us build a bright future," Phillips has tweeted.

"If President Biden is the Democratic nominee, we face an unacceptable risk of Trump being back in the White House," Phillips has claimed. "Biden/Harris isn't viable against Trump," the congressman has averred.

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Rep. Dean Phillips mounts Democratic presidential primary bid



Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) has mounted a Democratic presidential primary challenge against incumbent President Joe Biden.

While Phillips speaks highly of the president, he says that he is concerned former President Donald Trump could win the 2024 general election if Biden becomes the Democratic nominee.

Trump has been trouncing the rest of the GOP presidential primary field in polls and appears to be on track to easily win the Republican presidential nomination. Marianne Williamson has been running for the Democratic presidential nomination, but Biden holds a massive lead in the polls. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was previously running as a Democrat, but earlier this month, declared himself an independent presidential candidate.

"I didn't set out to enter this race," Phillips noted in a social media post. "But it looks like on our current course, the Democrats will lose and Trump will be our President again. President Biden is a good man and someone I tremendously respect. I understand why other Democrats don't want to run against him, and why we are here. This is a last-minute campaign, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and courage is an important value to me."

"If President Biden is the Democratic nominee, we face an unacceptable risk of Trump being back in the White House. I know this campaign is a long shot, but that is why I think it is important and worth doing," the lawmaker noted.

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Phillips, who has served as a congressman since early 2019, has said that he hopes others will jump into the Democratic primary contest.

"Do you believe that your candidacy could soften the ground for others to get in?" Robert Costa of CBS News asked Phillips.

"I hope it does. I know it's rare for somebody entering this arena to actually invite competition, but we need it," the congressman replied.

Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips enters presidential race, challenging Biden for Democratic spot www.youtube.com

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Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips reportedly expected to mount presidential primary bid



Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) is expected to announce a Democratic presidential primary bid on Friday, according to individuals familiar with the congressman's plans, Fox News reported. He is expected to have an event on the plaza outside the New Hampshire Statehouse and file for the contest in the Secretary of State's office, the outlet reported, citing those acquainted with the man's plans. Biden will not be listed on New Hampshire's Democratic primary ballot.

A Dean Phillips presidential campaign bus was reportedly seen in Ohio.

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Phillips, who has been in office since 2019, has called for President Joe Biden to "pass the torch."

"I want him to preserve his legacy, not to compromise it," Phillips said of Biden according to the Washington Post. "And this is exactly why I'm asking — pass the torch, open the stage."

"I do not want a repeat of 2016 when we essentially anointed someone, it was her turn, and ... look what happened. I think we're sleepwalking into the very same mistake again," Phillips warned during a PBS NewsHour appearance.

Biden is on track to easily win his party's 2024 presidential nomination. While Marianne Williamson is also running in the Democratic presidential primary, she has been unable to gain enough traction to threaten Biden's candidacy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had been running in the Democratic primary, but earlier this month announced that he will now run as an indepenedent candidate.

On the Republican side of the aisle, former President Donald Trump appears likely to win the GOP's presidential nod again.

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