Gov. Deval Patrick
Jonathan Wiggs | The Boston Globe | Getty Images
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will test the waters in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, expanding an already jammed field less than three months before nominating contests start.
Patrick announced his candidacy in a video posted to YouTube Thursday morning.
“So in a spirit of profound gratitude for all the country has given to me, and with a determination to build a better, more sustainable more inclusive American dream for the next generation, I am today announcing my candidacy for President of the United States,” Patrick said.
Patrick, 63, joins former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in taking steps to campaign as a left of center alternative to the leading primary candidates. Some Democrats have worried about the ability of contenders Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to defeat President Donald Trump next November.
It remains to be seen whether voters want options outside of the current frontrunners for the nomination.
Patrick, who was the governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015, carries his own baggage into presidential race as a managing director at investment firm Bain Capital. He aims to reenter politics at a time when Democratic primary voters and candidates from Sanders to Warren and even Biden rail against the influence of the investing community.
During his 2012 campaign against Mitt Romney — also a Bain veteran — President Barack Obama made the Republican’s record at the firm a major issue.
