Rep. Dean Phillips, the Minnesota Democrat leading a long-shot primary against President Biden, can see being Nikki Haley’s running mate if she runs as an independent.
Mr. Phillips said in an interview with WCCO-AM radio in Minnesota that it’s a viable idea.
“I think it’s a conversation Haley and I should have,” he said.
The suggestion reflects the appetite for a third option in the 2024 presidential election.
Polling shows few Americans want a rematch between former President Donald Trump and Mr. Biden.
The country remains on track for exactly that, however. Mr. Trump shows no signs of yielding many delegates to Ms. Haley, the former South Carolina governor who says she plans to stick around in the GOP primary despite lacking a path to the nomination.
Mr. Phillips is digging in, too, on the Democratic side, saying concerns about the incumbent are legitimate and that his party must confront them.
“At [Mr. Biden’s] stage in life, and frankly at Donald Trump’s stage in life, these are not men actuarially positioned to ably lead our country into the future. And neither of them will be around living in that future,” Mr. Phillips said.
The idea of Mr. Phillips and Ms. Haley teaming up remains far-fetched, and attempts to enlist a third-party candidate such as Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia or former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland have fallen short.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running as an independent, though it’s unclear how much of a spoiler he might be. His positions could attract libertarian-minded conservatives and liberals, so he may siphon voters from both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden.