CONCORD, N.H. — Dean Phillips is running for president. If that was supposed to be a secret, the Minnesota Democratic congressman hasn't done the best job keeping it.
A "Dean Phillips for President" van was prominently parked in Concord on Thursday afternoon outside the building where Phillips will have to file for the New Hampshire presidential primary by a Friday deadline.
The vehicle appeared to be the same vintage 1960s "Government Repair Truck" that Phillips has driven around his congressional district for years.
A calendar in the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office reviewed by the Star Tribune Thursday lists Phillips as set to file for the presidential primary Friday morning.
Volunteers for Phillips' campaign handed out flyers outside the New Hampshire State House on Thursday, inviting people to a Friday rally.
People involved with Phillips' campaign declined to comment.
Earlier this week, a red, white, and blue bus emblazoned with a "Dean Phillips for President" logo was seen on the freeway in Ohio, presumably on its way to New Hampshire.
That bus was adorned with Phillips' signature slogan — "Everyone's Invited" — as well as a new one: "Make America Affordable Again." It also advertised a Dean24.com website. The domain is registered but the site isn't operational yet.
Asked by the Star Tribune on Tuesday if the bus was his, Phillips said "Great looking bus!" in a text message and didn't elaborate.
Minnesota DFL chair Ken Martin told the Star Tribune in an interview Wednesday that he'd also been informed Phillips is running for president.
"Enough people close to him have confirmed to me that he is in fact doing this," Martin said.
Phillips, 54, is in his third term in the House. He'd been considering launching a primary campaign against President Joe Biden for months and publicly encouraged more established Democrats to run against the president, but none jumped in. The Minnesota congressman has said he's worried Democrats are "sleepwalking" into a repeat of the 2016 election when they lost the White House and has urged Biden to "pass the torch."
Most Democrats nationwide and in Minnesota have stuck behind Biden through Phillips' criticisms. Some of them worry that a Phillips primary campaign could weaken Biden and help hand the presidency back to Republican Donald Trump.
Asked about Phillips' presidential bid Thursday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was dismissive and said "he's not going to be the nominee."
"We're going to have our nominee in President Biden, and that will get done and we'll move on," Walz said.
Martin said he's disappointed in Phillips for running a "hopeless" campaign against Biden instead of backing the president against Trump.
"He's not going to end up finding the support that he needs," Martin said. "I think it'll be like a cold glass of water thrown in his face."
Star Tribune staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this story.
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