MINNETONKA, MN – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (D, MN) announced he will not seek re-election to Congress in 2024. Phillips has represented Minnesota’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019 and released the following statement:

“My journey to public service began the morning after the 2016 election, when I faced the reality that democracy requires participation - not observation.

Seven years have passed, each presenting historic opportunities to practice a brand of optimistic politics that repairs relationships and improves people’s lives. We have met those moments, and after three terms it is time to pass the torch.

To my colleagues in Congress: serving with you has been the honor of a lifetime - particularly during some of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

America has endured for a remarkable 246 years as the longest-lasting democratic republic in the world, but we are facing a crisis of cooperation, common sense, and truth. Civility matters, respect matters, listening matters, and effective governance matters. No party has a monopoly on solutions, and we must stop fighting one another and begin fighting for one another - before it is too late.

To my amazing community, the most engaged in the entire nation, you have made this the most joyful job I’ve ever had. I always say that representation begins with listening, and your diverse and respectful voices represent the very best of America. I know my successor will serve you with invitation, integrity, and fortitude – because you will demand it - and all Americans deserve it.

To my extraordinary staff, past and present, you are among the best, brightest, and most principled individuals with whom I’ve ever worked in any capacity. Minnesota and the nation are in good hands, Congress is better for your service, and our country joins me in celebrating you.

The future is very bright, as long as we have the courage and make the choice to seek it. Keep the faith!”

Spanning five years (and counting!), Phillips’s time in Congress included some of the most consequential and turbulent events in American politics. His service encompassed the end of the longest federal government shutdown in our nation's history, a violent insurrection, two presidential impeachments, civic unrest, extreme polarization and the global public health and economic crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Phillips earned a reputation as a principled problem solver, respected by his peers for his pragmatism and by his constituents for his commitment to accessibility.

• Select Legislative Highlights:

  • Helped establish a pathway to citizenship for Liberian refugees on Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) after decades of failed attempts

  • Authored the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Law, signed by President Trump, to make federal pandemic assistance more accessible for independent small business owners
    
    

•  Leadership:

  • Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Central Asia (2022-present)

  • Vice Ranking Member, House Small Business Committee (2022-present)

  • Elected by his peers to a leadership position within the Democratic Caucus; Co-Chair, House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) (2023)

  • Vice Chair, Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus (2020-2022)

  • Chair, House Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight (2020-2022)

  • Chair, No PAC Caucus

  • Co-Chair, Stakeholder Capitalism Caucus
    
    

• Recognition:

  • Second most bipartisan elected official when weighed against all Governors, Senators, and House Members by the nonpartisan Common Ground Committee

  • Two-time winner, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship

  • Two-time winner, Fiscal Hero Award, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

  • Minnesota’s Most Effective Lawmaker (2021), GovTrack
    
    

• Restoring Faith:

  • Created Common Ground Workshops, the first depolarization workshops in Congress

  • Returned more than $42 million directly to Minnesotans who were owed money by the federal government through successful casework

  • Honored more than 80 Vietnam-era veterans at official commemoration ceremonies

  • Pioneered the popular “On the Job with Dean” initiative and helped transform the way Members of Congress engage with small business owners

Phillips’s third and final term will end on January 3, 2025. Until then, residents of Minnesota’s Third District are invited to keep in touch, share ideas, and seek assistance with federal agencies by visiting phillips.house.gov.

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