MANCHESTER, N.H. — Rep. Dean Phillips Wednesday headed to South Carolina, unfazed by his New Hampshire primary loss.
Losing by nearly 50 percentage points to a write-in candidate doesn't look great on paper. But Phillips called it miraculous that an unknown congressman from Minnesota could do so well just 10 weeks into his presidential campaign.
He said he's committed to competing in South Carolina's Feb. 3rd primary, as well as Michigan's Feb. 24 contest.
"We’re gonna start listening to folks in South Carolina. I’ve got some surprises planned that I think will be kind of fun in both states and I’m gonna keep this journey going," Phillips told reporters Tuesday night.
Phillips had said going into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary that he'd be happy if he could garner 20 percent of the votes, in the face of a vigorous write-in effort by supporters of President Biden. The incumbent wasn't on the ballot in the Granite State this time because the Democratic National Committee chose to make South Carolina its first primary state.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Phillips stood at 19.6% in New Hampshire but was at 21% during his Election Night rally at the Millyard Museum in Manchester.
"This country is ready for the future and that’s what this was all about, and tonight was a miraculous outcome if you ask me. If you’d told me I’d be in the 20s 10 weeks ago? Gosh, I was praying for it, but I never thought it was possible!"
Some of those who gathered at the Phillips watch party shared the candidate's view that President Biden won't be able to win a rematch with former President Donald Trump,
"I love Dean Phillips, but I hate Donald Trump even more. And so, Haley’s at 45.6 right now," David Chazen told KARE. "I don’t know how that’s going to turn out, but I hope that tonight's showing keeps her in the race."
In New Hampshire, independent anti-Trump voters had to choose between voting for Nikki Haley in the Republican primary which will count toward the convention delegate total, or voting for Phillips in a Democratic primary that's not being recognized by the national party.
New Hampshire Rep. Matt Coker, who endorsed Phillips, acknowledged the Minnesotan faces a tough road to the nomination.
"It’s an uphill climb but I think we sent a message today that there’s something special here and going forward when he goes to other states, he’s going to pick up some momentum."
Others in the Phillips camp said they felt jilted by the DNC's decision to skip New Hampshire.
"It means a lot that Dean is getting here to New Hampshire, talking to the people, and where’s Joe Biden?" Greg Cohan explained.
"And why are you trying to take away the New Hampshire primary? So, I like that Dean Phillips is spending time in the state."
Phillips has said his campaign is all about sending a wake-up call to the Democratic Party, that they'll need a stronger candidate than President Biden if they hope to block former President Donald Trump from going back to the White House.
Despite the strong write-in showing by Biden in New Hampshire, Phillips kept up his criticism of the DNC lining up behind the incumbent.
"I’m trying to wake our darned party up, and they are propagating a nightmare by literally misleading and misinforming Democratic voters who have been led to believe he is going to win this next election."
On the issues, Phillips remains in line with his party, including his endorsement of Medicare for All. But many of his fellow Democrats have been strongly critical of his decision to challenge his own party's sitting president.
Phillips said he looks forward to seeing polls that show how he'd do in a head-to-head matchup with Donald Trump, versus the Biden-Trump race.
President Biden didn't mention Dean Phillips in his reaction statement Tuesday night. He simply said it’s clearer than ever that Trump will be the GOP nominee and that he's the only candidate who's ever beaten Trump.
Phillips has complained that MSNBC, the national cable channel preferred by Democrats, hasn't interviewed him on any topic since he started his campaign in late October. His name was largely missing from the network's primary coverage on Wednesday.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was a live guest on the "Morning Joe" program Wednesday but was not asked about the Phillips challenge.
Phillips said he's hoping the network will acknowledge his candidacy as the presidential race moves to other states where his name will appear on the same ballot as Biden's name.