Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick expected to join already crowded 2020 Democrat field.

Deval Patrick. NPR/AFP.

Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick is expected to join the 2020 Presidential Democratic primary race. NPR. Patrick was a two term governor of Massachusetts and one of the few black men to be elected governor in the United States. Patrick was also a close ally of Barack Obama. He had previously ruled out a 2020 run due to the effect it could have on his family but may be motivated by the quality and politics of the 2020 field. Patrick is comparatively moderate compared to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. He joins former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as late entries into the race. Patrick's entry to the race comes just days before early primary state New Hampshire's filing deadline. 

My Comment:

It's amazing to me that people are still entering the Democrat's primary race. At this point, only months away from the first votes in Iowa Caucus, the field should be getting narrower, not broader. But Patrick joins Michael Bloomberg in at the last second. And there is still a chance that Hillary Clinton could run again too! What a mess. 

I think it goes to show how weak the field is for Democrats and how divided the party actually is. Frontrunner Joe Biden has been making massive gaffes on the trail, has health concerns and has corruption concerns. Elizabeth Warren can't explain how she's going to pay for Medicare for all and has her own scandal with lying about her ancestry. Bernie Sanders is in extremely poor health and Pete Buttgieg has almost zero support from non-whites. 

And there are real differences between the candidates. The more moderate candidates are scared of what Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders want to do. Though the primary voters may be far left, the general election voters are not and the Democrats want to be able to apeal to the Obama voters that went for President Trump in 2016. 

Is Deval Patrick that man? I seriously doubt it. I follow politics very closely but I have hardly heard of the man before this week. I don't think he has any national name recognition at all. Given how wide the field is and how many candidates are running I don't see how people will be voting for a relative unknown like Patrick. 

The political moderate field is already crowded. Both Joe Biden and Pete Buttgieg are fairly moderate and Michael Bloomberg is the same way. And there are still a few of the also-rans that are also politically moderate. 

I guess Patrick could get some votes because he is black but I don't see it. People voting based on race have plenty of options but I don't think there are actually that many people out there that do so. Obama won because he was the first, but I doubt anyone will be excited to vote for the 2nd black president. 

I generally think that the 2020 race is an absolute mess for the Democrats. There are too many candidates running and the impeachment drama is likely to be a massive distraction. These late candidates entering the race aren't helping things. I thought President Trump was likely to win regardless but the Democrats are really hurting their chances with the current field.