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Asked about Biden in 2024, Craig says ‘new leaders’ needed in D.C.

Reps. Angie Craig and Dean Phillips are among the first members of Congress to suggest a candidate other than President Biden should be on the presidential ticket in 2024.

Rep. Angie Craig
Rep. Angie Craig shown speaking during Tuesday’s congressional forum at Farmfest.
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U.S. Rep. Angie Craig on Tuesday would not say if she would support President Joe Biden if he runs for a second term in 2024 and urged a “new generation” of Democratic leadership.

Rep. Dean Phillips
Stefani Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS
Rep. Dean Phillips
“I’m talking about Congress and I’m talking about up and down the ballot,” Craig told MinnPost at Farmfest in rural Redwood County. “I think Dean Phillips and I are in lockstep and alignment with that and I’m going to do everything in my power as a member of Congress to make sure that we have a new generation of leadership.”

Craig was referring to her colleague, 3rd District Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat who made national news last week by telling WCCO radio that he wouldn’t support Biden in 2024.

“I think the country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats who step up,” Phillips said.

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Craig said it was Biden’s decision whether or not to run. But when asked if she would support Biden if he did run, Craig said: “I would say we need new leaders in Washington up and down the ballot in the Democratic Party.”

Tyler Kistner
Kistner for Congress
Tyler Kistner
Craig, who was first elected in 2018, is locked in a tight race against Republican Tyler Kistner in a district that stretches from Twin Cities suburbs like Eagan and Burnsville to more rural areas like New Prague, Le Center and Waterville. She beat Kistner in 2020 by roughly 2 percentage points, and the Cook Political Report says the district is a “toss up” this time around. Biden beat then-President Trump by almost 7 percentage points in Craig’s district.

In the interview, Craig praised many major elements of the new spending deal struck by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to pump about $370 billion into energy and efforts to address climate change, raise taxes on corporations, allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices for people on Medicare, reduce the budget deficit and more.

Republicans have attacked the deal as more spending and tax increases while the economy may be in a recession and amid inflation. Craig said she wants to see the final bill, but said the framework was “fiscally responsible” and said “the idea that we’re gonna ask billion dollar companies to pay a minimum 15 percent tax, that’s just good policy.”

“I think what we have to start with is this is gonna reduce the deficit by $300 billion or so,” Craig said. She added the bill had provisions aimed at helping farmers, including an extension of a biodiesel tax credit and money to expand biofuels infrastructure.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that Craig has not yet endorsed the Manchin-Schumer spending plan but supports several key provisions.