Michael Bloomberg, Deval Patrick blindside Dem primary field – By Marc Caputo and David Siders (Politico) / Nov 12 2019
The two prospective presidential candidates would face long odds if they run — but each could unsettle the race in far-reaching ways.
The center of the Democratic Party is throwing a fit.
The party’s moderate wing has suddenly produced back-to-back threats of Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick entering the presidential primary, revealing its determination to have an imposing presence in a race shaped by unrestrained liberal policy prescriptions and candidates.
The two potential candidates are expressions of the deep concern voiced by Democratic Party insiders and donors that the moderate frontrunner in the race, Joe Biden, is flawed and in danger of losing to a progressive alternative, Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
At a bare minimum, Bloomberg and Patrick stand to complicate — and potentially lengthen — the campaign.
“The combination of Deval Patrick and Bloomberg entering the race blows up the primary,” said Quentin James, executive director of The Collective, a super PAC that supports African-American candidates.
Bloomberg and Patrick would face long odds if they run — but each could unsettle the race in far-reaching ways.
Bloomberg, a billionaire, could swamp his competitors in Super Tuesday states with advertising and remain a force deep into primary season with his nearly unlimited resources. Patrick, a former governor, could cut into the field in two key early states, and have a significant impact on the consolidation of the black vote.
Because Patrick hails from Warren’s home state, he has built-in name recognition in New Hampshire, which shares its biggest media market with Boston, potentially sapping Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders of their neighboring state advantage there.
Continue to article: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/12/bloomberg-patrick-blindside-dem-primary-field-070396
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. | Al Drago/Getty Images
