REGIONAL— Former FBI analyst Leah Phifer announced Wednesday that she won’t compete in the DFL primary for the Eighth District congressional seat. Phifer made that decision after falling just short in her bid to win the party’s endorsement last Saturday in Duluth.

Phifer had a sizable and committed slate of delegates at the endorsing convention and proved the top vote-getter in each of the ten ballots cast by DFLers as they struggled to reach consensus on a candidate. But she ran into opposition from the party’s traditional Iron Range power base, which never warmed to her push for a greater focus on environmental protection, economic fairness, and restorative justice. “Our campaign was always about bringing voices forward that hadn’t had a seat at the table before,” she said in an interview this week with the Timberjay. “There’s a lot of support in the district for sustainable development,” she said, but acknowledged that it faces strong resistance from the region’s power brokers.

That was apparent among the party’s super-delegates at the convention, who worked to prevent Phifer from reaching the 60-percent threshold for party endorsement. Super-delegates are comprised of elected or former elected officials who are automatically seated as delegates for party conventions. Phifer garnered as much as 52 percent of the delegate votes on the fourth ballot but found steadfast opposition from many party officials.

Phifer also faced what she saw as underhanded tactics deployed by some top party officials in the Eighth District, who used Phifer’s former position with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to foment opposition from the party’s Latino caucus. Members of the caucus read a letter of opposition to Phifer at the last Saturday's convention. Phifer, a fluent Spanish speaker, said she joined the federal law enforcement agency to serve as a translator and advocate for Spanish-speaking immigrants. “I was never an agent. I never carried a gun,” she said.

Whether the issue proved decisive is unclear, but it left a sour taste with some Phifer supporters, who saw the issue as largely manufactured. “I had reached out to the caucus,” said Phifer. “There was ample time to address their concerns ahead of the convention. It was clear that their concerns were being weaponized by those who were really concerned over other issues.”

Phifer faced opposition, as well, from some DFLers who were still angry over her decision to challenge Rep. Rick Nolan, who bowed of the race after Phifer demonstrated broad support in the February precinct caucuses. “They were trying to punish the person who challenged their traditional power base,” said Phifer.

Phifer said she met with her team on Tuesday and concluded that there was no viable path forward for her campaign. “We had never built our strategy or our infrastructure around a primary contest,” said Phifer.

Instead, Phifer had banked her efforts on winning the DFL endorsement, which would have provided her the party’s resources and infrastructure as her campaign moved forward, even in the expectation of a primary battle. While Phifer had strong grassroots support, she acknowledged that her campaign never won the backing of major political organizations or unions, which could provide the resources and infrastructure she would need in a primary contest. “We don’t see those resources coming in over the next four months,” she said.

Phifer had struggled to raise money, having raised about $81,000 through March 31, the most recent reporting period. But her campaign began months ahead of other contenders, and had relatively little cash on hand in the wake of the endorsing convention. “It’s not fair to bring my supporters along for a ride that could end in failure,” she said. Phifer also stressed her desire to avoid a divisive primary battle.

Phifer currently serves as adjunct faculty at Augsburg University. She will finish spring semester before taking on any new challenges. “It was such an honor to be trusted with the hopes and dreams of the 8th District,” she said. “Whatever I decide to do, I’ll be working to make our vision of the future a reality.”

Phifer’s departure narrows the race and will send an active and engaged base of supporters in search of a new candidate. To date, candidates Michelle Lee, Joe Radinovich, and Jason Metsa have announced they intend to campaign in the primary. Both Metsa and Lee had already indicated they likely would not abide by the party’s endorsement.