Deval Patrick Joins the 2020 Race: 'This Won't Be Easy, and It Shouldn't Be' [View all]
Source: New York Times
Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts officially entered the presidential race on Thursday, adding an 18th candidate and an 11th-hour twist to a turbulent Democratic primary with less than three months to go before the Iowa caucuses.
Mr. Patrick’s announcement, which he had signaled this week, came in the form of a video he released early Thursday morning. In it, he offered an explanation of why he was joining the race now after having passed on a bid for the White House a year ago, saying he was running for people who “feel left out” and want a future “not built by somebody better than you, not built for you, but built with you.”
“I admire and respect the candidates in the Democratic field,” he said. “They bring a richness of ideas and experience and a depth of character that makes me proud to be a Democrat. But if the character of the candidates is an issue in every election, this time is about the character of the country. This time is about whether the day after the election, America will keep her promises. This time is about more than removing an unpopular and divisive leader, as important as that is, but about delivering instead for you.”
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Mr. Patrick, 63, who served two terms as governor and is one of the highest-profile black leaders in the Democratic Party, is expected to appear on “CBS This Morning” later Thursday and offer additional details about his run.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/us/politics/deval-patrick-2020-president.html
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