NASHUA, N.H. – For Deval Patrick loyalists, there is no such thing as “too late.”
On a cold and snowy Sunday in Nashua, some 30 volunteers for Patrick’s presidential campaign practiced their pitch to convince New Hampshire voters of what they believe to be true: The former Massachusetts governor, though late to join the presidential primary contest, would be a formidable opponent for President Donald Trump in the general election.
As the former Massachusetts governor and his wife, Diane Patrick, looked on, campaign staffer and event host Kennedy Muise, used role-play to train the volunteers in techniques of persuasion. On cue, the mock “homeowner,” Janet Sand, a psychologist from Belmont, Massachusetts, shared her concern that it was just too late for Patrick, who did not announce his candidacy until November.
Diane Patrick had the answer.
“I think the answer to that is, ‘No,it’s not too late.’ As Deval has said a number of times, it’s not too late until you decide it’s too late,” she said.
She urged supporters to ignore the polls, which she said reflect the opinions of other people.
“Don’t believe everything you read in the paper on the polls, because that means you are giving up your voice and your decision,” she added.
This resonated with Doryce Smith of Brockton, Massachusetts, as she prepared to go knock on doors for Patrick.
“If 95 percent of the population of the state hasn’t been polled then you really don’t have accurate reporting of the numbers you are reporting out,” she said. “So, it’s never too late.”
Smith works in the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a specialist in civil rights and special education. She believes that Patrick can speak to the people of color and the poor communities that she serves.
“People that we serve in our public service roles, those clients that come in, we need them to get off the sidelines and join us and cast their vote for an agenda that addresses service programs,” she said.
Alison Petersen, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is still undecided but came to the gathering because her husband is a committed Patrick supporter. She believes there is still hope for the long-shot candidate.
“I think you always have to feel hope for the person that you want to get into the White House," she said. "The more that I find out about him the more I think that he is a decent person that could really do a good job.”
Still, Petersen admits “I’m a little sad that he started so late. I wish that he had started sooner.”
Jim Muise, who works in Massachusetts and lives in New Hampshire and is still undecided, expressed optimism for the Patrick candidacy.
“You never know what to believe in the polls, so we’ll just be hopeful,” he said.
And winning the nomination may not be the only goal, Muise added.
“If he doesn’t get the nomination, hopefully he’ll get some national exposure because I think he’d be good in any cabinet position.”
Rock is a Boston University journalism student and a former WGBH News intern.
