Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has told friends he will make a dramatic late run for the Democratic presidential nomination, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
Patrick, a close friend and ally of former President Barack Obama, ruled out a presidential bid earlier this year but has since been talking with Democratic operatives and donors about launching a campaign.
Patrick is the first Democrat to jump in less than three months before the kickoff Iowa caucuses – but may not be the last.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also reconsidering a run, citing concerns about the current Democratic front-runners’ ability to defeat President Donald Trump. Bloomberg is expected to make a final decision on his 2020 prospects within days.
The people with knowledge of Patrick’s deliberations spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
He’s in: Deval Patrick was governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015, the first African-American to hold the post. The 63-year-old had previously ruled out a run
Front of the field: Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden are both implicitly criticized by the entry of Deval Patrick into the already 18-strong Democratic field
Democrats plunged into the 2020 race with sky high enthusiasm about the prospects of defeating Trump and with a historic number of candidates vying for the nomination.
But as the field has started to dwindle, some in the party have raised concerns about the durability of former Vice President Joe Biden and the ability of liberal Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to win in a general election.
Although Patrick ruled out a run late last year, he reopened conversations with close friends and aides over the summer but did not take active steps to form a campaign.
In recent days, those conversations have intensified, with Patrick gauging interest in a run with donors and Democratic operatives.
He faces big hurdles to launching a campaign at this late stage. Unlike Bloomberg, a mega-billionaire who would self-fund, Patrick would have to quickly raise money to build out a campaign operation and boost his familiarity with voters.
Some of his former political advisers are already working for other 2020 candidates, including his former chief of staff Doug Rubin, who is working for Tom Steyer.
Patrick, who made history as Massachusetts’ first black governor and served from 2007 to 2015, could gain traction in neighboring New Hampshire, which holds the first primary contest.
However, he’d face stiff competition there from two other neighboring state candidates: Warren of Massachusetts and Sanders of Vermont.
New Hampshire’s primary filing deadline is Friday.
Bloomberg plans to skip the early states, where candidates have camped out for months courting voters and building operations.
Instead, he’s said he would focus on the crush of states that vote on March 3 – dubbed Super Tuesday – and beyond, where more delegates are at stake.
When Patrick decided last year not to run, he cited what he called the ‘cruelty’ of the election process.
‘After a lot of conversation, reflection and prayer, I’ve decided that a 2020 campaign for president is not for me,’ Patrick had posted on his Facebook page then.
Patrick said he and his wife worried that the ‘cruelty of our elections process would ultimately splash back on people whom Diane and I love, but who hadn’t signed up for the journey.’
For years, Patrick had been on an upward swing in Democratic politics, having served two terms as governor. He was only the country´s second black elected governor since Reconstruction.
In 2012, he gave a rousing speech in defense of Obama at the National Democratic Convention, urging fellow party members to ‘grow a backbone’ and fight for their ideals. Obama at the time was being challenged by former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – Patrick´s predecessor in the governor´s office.
Amigos: Deval Patrick is a close friend and ally of former President Barack Obama. When Patrick decided last year not to run, he cited what he called the ‘cruelty’ of the election process
Patrick grew up in Chicago, Obama´s adopted home and went to Harvard and Harvard Law School. Both men have campaigned for each other.
Patrick has also tried to position himself over the years as slightly more moderate than some on the Democratic left.
After Donald Trump´s election, Patrick’s initial criticism of the Republican president was somewhat less pointed than others in his party.
He said he was ‘old-fashioned in the sense that I think nobody should cheer for failure. We need our presidents to succeed,’ but said he was particularly concerned about what he described as Trump´s belittling of those with opposing points of view.
Patrick also urged the party at the time to look in the mirror, saying ‘the outcome of the 2016 election was less about Donald Trump winning than Democrats and our nominee letting him do so.’
Last year, some of Patrick’s supporters and close advisers launched the Reason to Believe political action committee, ‘a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020.’
The PAC held meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states, and was seen as a possible vehicle to help support a Patrick candidacy. It was formally dissolved earlier this year.
Early in his career, Patrick served as assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and later worked as an executive at Texaco and Coca-Cola. Since leaving the governor’s office, Patrick has worked as a managing director for Bain Capital – a company co-founded by Romney.
Patrick’s record as governor is mixed. His successes include helping oversee the 2006 health care law signed by Romney that would go on to serve as a blueprint for Obama’s 2010 health law.
Also considered a success was a 2008 initiative pushed by Patrick that committed Massachusetts to spending $1 billion over 10 years to jump-start the state’s life sciences sector.
There were also rough patches, including turmoil at the state Department of Children and Families following the deaths of three children.
Patrick was also forced to publicly apologize for a disastrous effort to transition to the federal health care law during which the state’s website performed so poorly it created a backlog of more than 50,000 paper applications.
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