Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick plans to officially enter the race for the Democratic presidential nomination by the end of the week, and has been calling supporters and elected officials Wednesday to inform them of his intentions, a source close to Patrick tells WGBH News.
Patrick’s decision was first reported by CNN.
Patrick had considered entering the race in late 2018, but ultimately chose not to. In a statement posted to Facebook that December, he cited concern for his family, writing: “knowing 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, was more than I could ask.”
In hindsight, though, the surprise that greeted reports of Patrick’s renewed interest in a bid earlier this week may have been misplaced. When he joined CBS News as a political contributor in September, Patrick sounded skeptical about the Democratic field as it was then constituted, questioning Joe Biden’s comportment and suggesting that the growing embrace of “Medicare for All” — by, among others, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — was imprudent.
In 2006, Patrick was elected governor of Massachusetts after winning a Democratic primary fight with then-attorney general Tom Reilly — who had been widely regarded as the presumptive nominee at the outset of the race — and businessman Chris Gabrieli.
After launching his campaign as a relative unknown, at least to the Massachusetts political establishment, Patrick cruised to an impressive general-election victory over then-Lieutenant Gov. Kerry Murphy Healey, showcasing a knack for both retail politicking and inspiring campaign oratory. When he was inaugurated in 2011, he became Massachusetts’ first-ever African-American governor.
In 2010, Patrick was re-elected after a hard-fought race with current Gov. Charlie Baker, winning by six points in an election that also featured independent candidate Tim Cahill and Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
“He has formidable candidate skills,” said Rob Gray, the founder of Gray Media, who was a senior advisor to both the Healey and Baker campaigns. “He’s really one of the best I’ve seen, on the stump and in debates and speeches. I venture to say his candidate skills are far above any of the current crop of Democratic presidential candidates.”
During his eight years in office, Patrick signed legislation that boosted public investment in life sciences and clean energy, reformed the Massachusetts pension system, and revamped the state’s protocol for criminal-records checks. (Among other things, the latter barred employers from asking about applicants’ criminal history on job applications, a change hailed by advocates.) He was also praised for steady leadership during times of crisis, including the Boston Marathon bombings, after which his oratorical skills were on full display.
Patrick’s tenure was not without controversy, however. His first weeks in office were rocky, featuring, among other things, a phone call on behalf of the owner of Ameriquest, the subprime-lending giant, that took place in February 2007. Patrick had previously served on the board of ACC Capital Holdings, Ameriquest's parent company. Patrick initially defended the call through a spokesman, who said the then-governor reached out as a private citizen.
Later, his push to legalize casino gambling sparked significant but ultimately unsuccessful opposition. And when the MBTA, the Boston area’s public-transit system, failed spectacularly just after Patrick left office, it raised questions about his stewardship.
Patrick’s second term was also marked by a scandal at the state drug lab, where an employee’s falsification of results led to the dismissal of more than 20,000 convictions.
“His last term as governor has never been prosecuted in a campaign, and that last term was a pretty bumpy road for him,” said Gray, who also served as a senior adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008 and Jeb Bush’s in 2016.
Patrick is currently a managing director at Bain Capital, where he leads an investment fund that seeks to combine profitability with positive social impact. He served in the Clinton administration as the Department of Justice’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, and later was general counsel at Texaco and vice president and general counsel at the Coca-Cola Company.
In 2018, both Patrick and a Patrick-affiliated PAC backed a number of congressional candidates across the U.S., several of whom won races in what had previously been regarded as Republican-friendly districts.
