Dean Phillips

Dean Phillips
Official portrait, 2021
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
In office
January 3, 2023 – October 1, 2023
LeaderHakeem Jeffries
Preceded byDebbie Dingell
Matt Cartwright
Ted Lieu
Succeeded byLori Trahan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byErik Paulsen
Personal details
Born
Dean Benson Pfefer

(1969-01-20) January 20, 1969 (age 55)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
Spouse(s)
Karin Einisman
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2015)​

Annalise Glick
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
RelativesPauline Phillips (grandmother)
Jeanne Phillips (aunt)
EducationBrown University (BA)
University of Minnesota (MBA)
WebsiteHouse website
Phillips's voice
Phillips speaking in favor of SALT deductions
Recorded December 19, 2019

Dean Benson Phillips[1] (né Pfefer; born January 20, 1969)[2] is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district since 2019.[3] A member of the Democratic Party, his district encompasses the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Bloomington, Minnetonka, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth, and Eden Prairie. Outside of politics, Phillips has both owned and started several companies in addition to serving as president and CEO of his family's liquor business, the Phillips Distilling Company.[4][5][6] He is the former co-owner of Talenti gelato and co-owns Penny's Coffee.

First elected in 2018, Phillips defeated six-term Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen.[7] By flipping the previously Republican district, he became the first Democrat to win the seat since 1958, and has since been reelected twice by comfortable margins. In November 2023, Phillips announced that he would not run for reelection.[8] Despite consistently voting in support of President Joe Biden's policy positions, he challenged him for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2024 presidential election.[9][10] Phillips received the second-highest number of delegates of any candidate in the primaries (four), but was unsuccessful.[11][12]

  1. ^ "PAGE BY PAGE REPORT DISPLAY FOR 12951451573 (Page 196 of 371)". Docquery.fec.gov. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  2. ^ "Candidate Conversation - Dean Phillips (DFL) - News & Analysis - Inside Elections". Insideelections.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (May 9, 2017). "Minnesota liquor heir hopes to parlay business career into congressional bid". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Monroe, Nancy Weingartner (September 29, 2017). "Dean Philip's Running For Office While Running Penny's". foodservicenews.net. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Vodka and Gelato Tycoon Challenging Minnesota's Erik Paulsen". Roll Call. May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Phillips liquor heir, Dear Abby's grandson launches bid to unseat Congressman Erik Paulsen". Twin Cities. May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "In competitive Third District race, Erik Paulsen, Dean Phillips clash at second debate". AP NEWS. October 5, 2018. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Frazier, Kierra (November 24, 2023). "Dean Phillips announces he won't seek reelection to Congress". Politico. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  9. ^ John, Arit; McKend, Eva; Pellish, Aaron (October 26, 2023). "House Democrat Dean Phillips launches primary challenge against President Biden". CNN. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Dean Phillips ends presidential campaign and endorses Biden". NBC News. March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "2024 Presidential Primary Delegate Tracker". USA Today. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "US election 2024 primaries: follow live results". The Guardian. March 19, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.