While the media largely kept the focus of Tuesday’s New Hamsphire primary on the Republican side and largely ignored the Democratic side, President Biden had a launch a last-minute and desperate write-in campaign to prevent being upstaged by challenger Congressman Dean Phillips (MN). Phillips managed to score nearly 20 percent of the vote despite the liberal media barely covering his campaign; and during NewsNation’s coverage that evening, co-anchor Chris Cuomo pointed out how the liberal media didn’t want to show him any “love.”
Contrary to how most of the liberal media tried to talk about Phillips sparingly, he was brought up multiple times by the NewsNation anchors. Cuomo and co-anchor Dan Abrams even called out the liberal media for largely refusing to give him the time of day, essentially suppressing his campaign:
CUOMO: You know, the problem for Phillips is I don't know how much of the media wants to love him up.
ABRAMS: Particularly not the left-wing media.
CUOMO: That's right. And create a race with Biden the way they do on the right.
With the votes still being tallied, at one point in the night, Phillips had an impressive 25 percent of the vote. “He's got about 25 percent of the vote. Obviously, Joe Biden is a write-in candidate because he's not even on the ballot. But nevertheless, 25 percent for one alternative Democrat,” Abrams marveled.
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) called the performance “pretty big” considering Phillips was “a guy that got no attention, nobody even listened to or paid attention to.” “But he overperformed. People didn't expect 25 percent out of him,” he praised.
“There are an awful lot of Democrats who don't want Joe Biden. And there's a lot of Republicans who don't want Donald Trump,” Hogan added. “About 70 percent of people country don't want either one of them and they don't want a rematch.”
A few minutes later, Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf warned that Phillips’s strong showing despite the deck being stacked against him should be setting off alarm bells at the Democratic National Committee headquarters:
Non-performance by the President versus Dean Phillips; something Chris Cuomo said earlier in the break. You know, and before that. Dean Phillips, the guy to watch, apparently, I mean, that's a story for tomorrow: Dean Phillips against the incumbent president of the United States getting those kinds of numbers.
Unfortunately, Hank, as NewsBusters reported, Phillips’ overperformance was not mentioned by the broadcast networks Wednesday morning.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
NewsNation’s Decision Desk ’24: The New Hampshire Primary
January 23, 2024
8:54:37 p.m. Eastern(…)
DAN ABRAMS: What do you make on the Democratic side, Dean Phillips? He's shown – he's got about 25 percent of the vote. Obviously, Joe Biden is a write-in candidate because he's not even on the ballot. But nevertheless, 25 percent for one alternative Democrat.
LARRY HOGAN (R-former Maryland governor): And I think it's pretty big. And I think the fact that they had to scramble at the last minute to do this write-in campaign because Biden was worried. A guy that got no attention, nobody even listened to or paid attention to got 25 percent.
There are an awful lot of Democrats who don't want Joe Biden. And there's a lot of Republicans who don't want Donald Trump. About 70 percent of people country don't want either one of them and they don't want a rematch.
ELIZABETH VARGAS: Yeah, Dean Phillips did spend a lot of time and ener— I mean, and I mean, while the rest of the country may not have heard of Dean Phillips, although I’ve had him on my show several times as have you [gestures to Abrams].
HOGAN: I know Dean Phillips. We’ve worked together with him. He’s a smart guy.
VARGAS: But New Hampshire knew him well because he was—
HOGAN: But he overperformed. People didn't expect 25 percent out of him.
(…)
9:06:30 p.m. Eastern
VARGAS: You've been delving into the demographic trends that you're seeing in New Hampshire. And you just said to me a moment ago, that there’s a lot of bad news for Democrats you're seeing in what you're looking at tonight. What is it?
HANK SHEINKOPF (Democratic strategist): I'm not turning my Democratic registration yet, but it would be a good time to check it out. I look. Non-performance by the president versus Dean Phillips; something Chris Cuomo said earlier in the break. You know, and before that. Dean Phillips, the guy to watch, apparently, I mean, that's a story for tomorrow: Dean Phillips against the incumbent president of the United States getting those kinds of numbers.
(…)
10:40:12 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS CUOMO: You know, the problem for Phillips is I don't know how much of the media wants to love him up.
ABRAMS: Particularly not the left-wing media.
CUOMO: That's right. And create a race with Biden the way they do on the right.
(…)
