President Joe Biden has a new challenger for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota officially joined the race for the White House on Friday, becoming Biden’s lone primary challenger with any experience in elected office.

Phillips announced his candidacy in Concord, New Hampshire, where he registered to appear on the state’s primary ballot hours before the filing deadline.

“Let me tell you, America, I am ready to get to work,” Phillips said in a short speech outside his campaign tour bus parked near the statehouse. “We will replace darkness with light, we will replace fear with optimism, and poverty with prosperity.

“I invite you to join me in declaring a new American independence, not from another nation or people, rather a new independence from fear and from the status quo,” he added.

While Phillips, 54, is highly unlikely to beat Biden, his run offers a symbolic challenge to national Democrats trying to project the idea that there is no reason to doubt the president's electability — even as many Americans question whether the 80-year-old Biden should serve another term. Phillips may also benefit from New Hampshire Democrats angry at Biden for diluting their state’s influence on the 2024 Democratic primary calendar, a change that state party chairman Ray Buckley has warned could create a “potential embarrassment” by “an insurgent candidate, serious or not.”

Biden won’t appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot over a standoff between the Democratic National Committee and the state regarding its first-in-the-nation status, which Biden has sought to change. 

In his speech, Phillips said he’s not running to oppose Biden, whom he said has his affection and gratitude. Rather, Phillips said he believes he is “the Democratic candidate who can win” the general election and “it is time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders.”

Phillips first said in August he was mulling a presidential run himself but had hoped someone who was better positioned to take on Biden would join the race. 

Last month, after no one answered his call, the Minnesota congressman told a podcast he had not ruled out the possibility of running. 

Phillips has previously indicated the impetus for his run is tepid support in polls for Biden and what he has called a “grave risk of another Trump presidency.”

A CNN poll in September found that 67% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters want the party to nominate someone other than Biden. Other polls have yielded similar results.

The CNN poll also found that roughly three-quarters of Americans are seriously concerned about the 80-year-old president’s age. 

Phillips on Friday listed a number of issues facing the United States, including the economy, hunger, health care and gun violence. 

He referenced Wednesday’s mass shootings in neighboring Maine that left 18 people dead and 13 people injured. 

“That is why I'm running for president of the United States of America because we cannot tolerate it any longer — any longer,” Phillips said. “And I call on gun owners, I call on activists, I call on the exhausted majority to come together and save American lives.”

At times, he spoke about issues often amplified by Republicans, such as consumer prices, which he said “are way too high” and the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he described as “chaos.”

Biden faces a handful of other Democratic challengers, all considered extreme long shots. They include activist and author Marianne Williamson, anti-abortion advocate Terrisa Bukovinac and political commentator Cenk Uygur. Attorney and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. initially sought the Democratic nomination but earlier this month announced he is now running as an independent.

A USA Today/Suffolk University Poll this week had Biden leading Williamson 73% to 11%. In a potential general election rematch, Biden and Trump were tied at 37%, with Kennedy receiving support from 13% of respondents.

Phillips is serving his third term in Congress. Before entering politics, he was an executive for his family’s distillery and later at Talenti gelato. He also founded a chain of coffeeshops called Penny’s.

Neither the Biden campaign nor the Democratic National Committee responded to emails from Spectrum News seeking comment about Dean’s candidacy.

On Tuesday, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Phillips’ reported plans to run. 

“We appreciate the congressman’s almost 100% support of this president as he’s moved forward with some really important key legislative priorities for the American people,” Jean-Pierre said, cautious not to violate a law prohibiting executive branch employees from engaging in campaign activities.

Note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.