His ambition faces fresh test with GOP challenges on infrastructure, voting rights.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Dean Phillips has his limits, a sense of where he draws the line.
Well into his second term holding a Minnesota congressional seat coveted by Republicans, the idea of bipartisanship in a polarized Washington is crucial for the Democrat. It is a lofty ambition with grim odds, and an ideology facing a fresh test with legislative challenges on infrastructure and voting rights. Shadowing it all are the emotional aftershocks of the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and former President Donald Trump’s strong influence over the Republican Party that continues to strain those reaching for middle ground.
“The members who I believe bear responsibility for January 6, I will not work with because I believe they are dangerous, plain and simple,” said Phillips, whose district includes large swaths of western Minneapolis suburbs. “And by the way, I don’t think they’d work with me. But that means there are 429 others with whom I’m happy to work with.” Continue reading.