Have you ever heard of Deval Patrick? I have, but I lived in Massachusetts when he was the governor. He was a good governor and a friend of Barack’s. He’s got a great story.
Deval Patrick grew up on the South Side of Chicago. In the projects. A single mother. He got a scholarship to go to prep school — Milton Academy. A successful student, he went on to Harvard and Harvard Law School.
After practicing law for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and becoming a partner in a Boston Law Firm, he became the US Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Bill Clinton.
He left corporate work (having been General Counsel for Texaco and Executive VP for Coca-Cola) for politics. He ran for governor of Massachusetts, replacing Mitt Romney. He declined a run for president in 2016 and again for 2020. A successful Democratic governorship of Massachusetts is not enough to propel him to the presidency.
Being a successful African-American governor of Massachusetts who is a friend of Barack’s and worked for Bill is not enough. He returned to the corporate world as a managing director for Bain Capital.
There is something to be said for knowing when to stop running.