Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Announces His Candidacy for President of the United States
Boston, MA - Today, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick officially announced his candidacy for President of the United States, committing to build a better, more inclusive American Dream for the next generation. In an announcement video, Patrick shared his campaign goals: to meet people where they are and find common cause and common purpose to achieve meaningful progress for our country.
Patrick has devoted his life to lifting the voices of others. Born on the South Side of Chicago, he lived with his grandparents, his mother, and his sister in their grandparents’ two bedroom tenement, much of that time on welfare. Through the love and support of family, great teachers, and adults in the neighborhood and in church, Patrick became the first in his family to attend college and law school.
After law school, he joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and led the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As the Assistant Attorney General, Patrick coordinated the investigation of arson at black churches across the South.
Patrick has always been called to service, but that service has not always been in the public sector. He led reforms at Texaco, where a court appointed him to create a more equitable and inclusive workplace, and at Coca-Cola, where he stood up for employees and unions.
In 2006, completing one of the most extraordinary political journeys the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had ever seen, Patrick won a landslide victory to become Massachusetts’ first black governor. Serving from 2007-2015, Patrick used his time in the State House to pull together disparate factions to achieve lasting reform. By the end of his second term, Massachusetts ranked first in the nation in energy efficiency, first in health care coverage, and first in student achievement. After ranking 47th in the nation for job creation, Massachusetts grew to a 25-year employment high. It became a global center for life sciences, biotech, clean tech, and advanced manufacturing.
After he left office, Patrick joined Bain Capital to launch an impact investing fund. This new fund, Bain Capital Double Impact, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into mission-driven companies that target both social and environmental good. Patrick’s life has always been about rejecting false choices, and his new fund was meant to show that private companies can be a force for public good.
Throughout his time in public office and in the private sector, Patrick has been a leader in developing solutions to the challenges we continue to face as a country: climate change, health care, the future of work and innovation.
Together with his wife of 34 years, Diane, Patrick looks forward to building a campaign that is grounded in his commitment to service. After having the opportunity to personally live the American Dream, Patrick will fight to ensure the path to that dream is open to everyone, everywhere.
Over the next several days, Patrick will travel the country meeting voters, listening to their stories and sharing his vision for the country. After filing to run for president in New Hampshire, Patrick will travel to California, Nevada, Iowa and South Carolina over the weekend and into next week.
For more information about Deval Patrick’s vision for America, visit devalpatrick2020.com.
