Dean Phillips is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative from Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district since 2019.
Phillips’s district encompasses the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Bloomington, Minnetonka, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth, and Eden Prairie.
A member of the Democratic Party, Dean 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.
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.
By flipping the once staunchly Republican district, he became t Democrat to win the seat since 1958.
He has since been reelected twice. Phillips is considered a centrist and a moderate Democrat.
In 2023, he announced his intent to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election.
Who is Dean Phillips?
Dean Phillips was born Dean Benson Pfefer on January 20, 1969 to DeeDee (Cohen) and Artie Pfefer in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Artie was killed in the Vietnam War when Phillips was six months old. DeeDee later married Eddie Phillips, heir to the Phillips Distilling Company and the son of advice columnist Pauline Phillips.
In the early 1970s, Phillips moved from Saint Paul to Edina. He attended The Blake School.
Dean Phillips graduated from Brown University in 1991 and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
He worked for bicycle equipment and apparel company InMotion for two years, and then joined his family’s company’s corporate office.
He later completed his Master of Business Administration at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management in 2000.
After graduation, he was named the president and CEO of his family’s organization, Phillips Distilling Company. Phillips served as the company’s president and CEO from 2000 to 2012.
He then stepped aside to run one of his other corporate investments, Talenti gelato, until it was sold for an undisclosed amount to Unilever in 2014.
Since 2016, he has been the founder and owner of Penny’s Coffee, a coffeeshop chain with two locations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area as of 2022.
Here are some of his career highlights:
Successful entrepreneur: Phillips has owned and started several companies, including the Phillips Distilling Company, Talenti gelato, and Penny’s Coffee.
Moderate Democrat: Phillips is considered a centrist and a pragmatic Democrat who supports bipartisanship and compromise.
He is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition. He has advocated for campaign finance reform, health care access, climate action, and immigration reform.
District flipper: Phillips defeated six-term Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to win the 3rd district since 1958.
He won reelection in 2020 and 2022 by comfortable margins. He ran a grassroots campaign that emphasized retail politics and digital outreach.
Presidential challenger: Phillips announced his intention to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2024, citing his concern about Biden’s age and electability against former President Donald Trump.
He launched his campaign in New Hampshire, where he filed to appear on the state’s primary ballot. He said he admires Biden but believes the country needs a new generation of leadership.
About Dean Phillips Wife
Who is Dean Phillips married to?
Dean Phillips has been married twice. His first wife was Karin Einisman, whom he married in 1995 and divorced in 2015.
His current wife is Annalise Glick, whom he married in 2019.
She is a musician-turned-art-consultant and the CEO of Glick Family Foundation, a foundation that supports education, health care, and social justice cause.
About Dean Phillips daughters
Dean Phillips has two adult daughters, Daniela and Pia, from his first marriage to Karin Einisman.
Daniela was born in 1996 and Pia was born in 1998.
Daniela is a graduate of Brown University and works as a marketing manager at Penny’s Coffee, her father’s company.
Pia is a senior at Stanford University and studies computer science.
When did Dean Phillips launch his bid for US President?
Since 2019, Dean Phillips has served as the US representative from Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district, however, he has his eyes set on a bigger role.
On October 27, 2023, he announced during an appearance on CBS News that he would be running for president in 2024 as a member of the Democratic Party.
“I think President Biden has done a spectacular job for our country. But it’s not about the past. This is an election about the future,” Phillips said, via ABC News.
“I will not sit still I will not be quiet in the face of numbers that are so clearly saying that we’re going to be facing an emergency next November.”
Phillips will be challenging President Biden, self-help author Marianne Williamson, and progressive talk show host Cenk Uygur for the Democratic nomination.
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