Wind Advisory
from SAT 12:00 PM MST until SAT 10:00 PM MST, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Kofa, Central La Paz, Aguila Valley, Southeast Yuma County, Gila River Valley, Northwest Valley, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, Buckeye/Avondale, Cave Creek/New River, Deer Valley, Central Phoenix, North Phoenix/Glendale, New River Mesa, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Superior, Northwest Pinal County, West Pinal County, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Tonto Basin, Mazatzal Mountains, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, San Carlos, Dripping Springs, Globe/Miami, Southeast Gila County

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick ends 2020 presidential campaign

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the last remaining African American candidate in a Democratic presidential field once defined by its diversity, ended his 2020 campaign Wednesday after his late bid failed to catch fire or resonate with voters.

The departure of the former Massachusetts governor from the race comes a day after he lagged near the bottom of the Democratic field in the New Hampshire primary. His decision leaves just one other candidate of color, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Samoan American, in the Democratic contest. It brings the number of Democrats in the presidential primary race to eight.

patrick-deval-getty.jpg

Democratic presidential candidate former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick addresses the crowd during the King Day at the Dome rally on Jan. 20, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Patrick launched his bid for president in mid-November but failed to register in polling and fundraising and never made it onto a presidential debate stage. Patrick raised just $2.2 million in the final six weeks of last year, and while a super PAC created to support his bid committed nearly that much to advertising in the early primary states last month, Patrick still barely registered in New Hampshire.

It's a disappointing finish for someone who, in part because of his rhetorical skills, has long drawn comparisons to former President Barack Obama. The two men are personally close and Patrick counts some of Obama’s aides and donors as part of his own inner circle. Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama’s closest advisers, was one of Patrick’s most prominent supporters.

But Obama has largely avoided wading into the race, and Patrick said throughout the primary that he didn’t expect the former president to provide a boost to his bid.

Patrick focused his campaign entirely on New Hampshire, hoping the familiarity of a neighboring state would help boost his chances in the race. He offered what aides felt was a unique message in a field that ultimately boiled down largely to career politicians with little executive or private sector experience: that he had the track record as governor and through years of business experience to deliver on Democratic priorities like fighting climate change and reforming health care.

But another New England Democrat, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, won the state. Also, Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, emerged as the leading moderate, winning many of the same centrist voters Patrick had sought.

On the campaign trail, Patrick made a case for compassionate capitalism, the idea that businesses and government can work together in service of public good, and he drew on his time working for Bain Capital developing businesses that promote positive social change as evidence. While some donors and moderate Democrats said both his message and the messenger were sorely needed, in a primary season dominated by progressives’ calls to break up big corporations and expand government aid programs, Patrick’s arguments seemed to fall flat with some voters.