Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) admitted he was open to running for the White House on a unity ticket with Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley on Thursday.
Phillips claimed Haley had no realistic chance of beating former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination but should consider running for president separately, and hinted he could be her vice president.
“Wouldn’t all your listeners be … compelled by maybe Nikki Haley and Dean Phillips getting together on a unity ticket and actually doing for the first time, perhaps in our country’s history, what most Americans really want, which is cooperation, collaboration, participation, decency, common sense, leadership?” Phillips told WCCO radio host Chad Hartman on Thursday.
When asked for clarification on whether he would be the vice presidential candidate, Phillips said it would be something for him to discuss with Haley.
“In the event of a Donald Trump victory this November, which is almost certain if [President] Joe Biden is the nominee, I think any American who opposes that should celebrate, encourage, and inspire an alternative that can actually win and lead our country in the way that people want,” Phillips said. “I think America would be very well served by some type of a bipartisan ticket that restores faith in government and most importantly demonstrates to the world, to the world, that America can work together and restore its extraordinary brand around the entire world.”
It is not clear whether Phillips was referring to a unity ticket through the third party No Labels, which has advocated a bipartisan presidential ticket. No Labels said it had not made any decisions about creating a unity ticket for the November election, but previously floated Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as a potential contender. Manchin announced last week that he would not seek the Oval Office.
Haley has not given any indication that she would seek a third-party bid if she fails to secure the Republican nomination.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The concept of a unity ticket has grown in popularity in recent years and seems most plausible this election cycle as many swing voters indicate they would rather avoid a repeat of the 2020 election between Trump and Biden. The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, requires presidential and vice presidential candidates to be on the same ballot, but does not state that they have to be part of the same party.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is already running as an independent candidate and has garnered some attention as a potential “spoiler” for Biden. He has seen some support from black Democratic voters in the South, pulling from a crucial voter base for Biden.
