Former Massachusetts governor and Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick shot down claims, Sunday, that he is running on the same platform as South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
“Pete Buttigieg I would argue is essentially making similar arguments you have about bringing the country together, that this is a bigger moment than a specific policy issue over here, nostalgia over there,” NBC News host Chuck Todd said during “Meet The Press.” “When I hear your message, and I hear what I’ve heard from Pete Buttigieg, I think, ‘Isn’t your message already represented?'”
“I have tremendous respect for Mayor Pete, as I do for [Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)], for the vice president, and the other candidates who are running … ,” Patrick replied. “My entry into the race isn’t about them and I’m not trying to climb on top of them in order to do what I want to do and what I think I can do.”
“I think that I have a record of being a bridge builder and I think that’s pretty important at a time when not just the party, in some respects, but the nation is deeply divided,” he continued. “And divided, frankly, around issues where we have a remarkable amount of overlap in terms of economic anxiety and social tensions.”
Patrick announced last week that he was officially jumping into the crowded 2020 Democratic primary field and running for president. There was speculation that he was likely to seek the Democratic nomination as early as February 2018 when two close allies of former President Barack Obama — David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, and Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to the former president — voiced their support for his candidacy. Patrick revealed in late-2018 that he had decided not to run, citing the pressure that a national campaign would put on his family.
Patrick, however, revealed to Todd that his campaign was only a week away from officially launching a presidential bid nearly a year ago, but on the eve of the announcement, his wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer. While Patrick stated in August that his wife was “glad” that he decided not to run, she is now cancer-free and has been instrumental in encouraging him to reverse the decision.
“[My wife] has also been one of the ones listening closely and responding to folks who said there is a lane for you,” Patrick said. “More to the point, the nation needs experience, not just a sensibility around bridge building, but actually some results in that respect.”
“And we are in crisis in many respects here in America ,and we used a crisis in Massachusetts to come out stronger economically, stronger socially, and more fair,” he continued. “And I’d like to see if those experiences, and that aptitude, and that skill set can be offered in service.”
Patrick, who is the latest candidate to join the presidential race, is facing an uphill battle to win the nomination in a party that has consistently been pivoting further left of center. His recent position as a managing director at the renowned private investment firm Bain Capital has caused widespread backlash in a Democrat Party that is increasingly supportive of socialism.