 Although Phillips lost the Democratic primary in 1982 (to La Follette, who took 51.1% to Deer's 30.9% and Phillips' 12.4%), she was the highest-ranking woman to win state office in Wisconsin in the 20th century.A lifelong Democrat, she was also the first black person to be elected as a member of the National Committee of either of the major U.S. political parties.Since leaving office, Phillips remained active in the community, serving on the boards of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and America's Black Holocaust Museum.