‘I’m the longshot’: Dean Phillips embraces underdog role in shaky debut against Biden

Dean Phillips, the first-time Democratic candidate running for Joe Biden’s old seat in the U.S. Senate, isn’t afraid to embrace his underdog status.

At an event this month in a tony community center in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, Phillips framed the race against Republican incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar as a “David-versus-Goliath” scenario. The 65-year-old businessman’s campaign focuses largely on his commitment to Moore’s Law, a 1965 prediction from Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the computing power of computers will double every two years.

Phillips argues that Klobuchar, the current U.S. senator and former state attorney general, has been slow to embrace the digital revolution of the past few decades.

“What I’m saying to Klobuchar is that your message is outdated,” Phillips said. “We need to be thought and we need to be focused in a way that is different, that is leading edge, that is forward.”

In addition to discussing his plans to bring new technology to Minnesota, Phillips also highlighted Klobuchar’s record as a centrist Democrat at a time when many progressives have moved to the left. He cited her votes in favor of President Donald Trump’s nominations for cabinet positions and Supreme Court justices, as well as her past refusal to embrace a $15 minimum wage and support the Medicare for All plan.

“It’s time for a change, and that’s why I’m running,” Phillips told the crowd. “I’m the longshot. And if I’m told I can’t win, I’m not deterred. I will wage a campaign and a fight that I am very proud of.”