Former MA Gov. Deval Patrick announces presidential run

Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has announced his candidacy for president of the United States.

In a video announcing his candidacy, Patrick said, “…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’s campaign slogan is “Deval for All.” Abe Rakov will serve as his campaign manager.

In addition to being an American politician, Patrick is a civil rights lawyer, author and businessperson. He served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts for two terms, from 2007 to 2015. When he was first elected as the governor in 2006, he became the first African-American to have been elected as the governor of the Bay State.

Patrick is a Democrat. He served as the US assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the US Department of Justice under President Bill Clinton from 1994 to 1997.

As the MA governor, Patrick won a federal Race to the Top education grant, oversaw the implementation of the state’s 2006 health care reform program that had been enacted under Mitt Romney, passed an overhaul of governance of the state transportation function by signing a law to create the state’s transportation department, increased funding to life sciences and education, increased the state sales tax from 5% to 6.25% and raised the state’s minimum wage from $8 per hour to $11 per hour by 2017.

During his terms, Massachusetts joined RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the planned introduction of casinos in the state.

Soon after his second term, Patrick declared that he would not seek re-election in 2014.

Deval Patrick was born July 31, 1956 in Chicago. Largely raised by a single mother, he earned a scholarship to Milton Academy in Milton, MA in the eighth grade. He later went on to attend Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. After graduating, he practiced law with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and later joined a Boston-based law firm, where he was made a partner at the age of 34.

Patrick faces stiff competition in Democratic primaries and caucuses. His campaign website is https://devalpatrick2020.com/.

Image credit - Public domain image by Office of the Governor of Massachusetts (Source)