Deval Patrick: Democrats should focus on future, not just Trump

Democrats need to focus on communicating their vision for the future beyond defeating former President Donald Trump at the polls in November, according to former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Speaking on WBUR's Radio Boston, Patrick said he found the current political moment "auspicious."

"If you think about what are portrayed as the grievances of white, working people, rural people — meaning, economic uncertainty, social isolation, the despair measured by things like addiction rates or suicide rates — they're exactly the same hurt, they're exactly the same wounds and concerns of folks in cities who Democrats claim to represent," he said.

Talking about those common challenges is an opportunity for Democrats this election season, he said.

"We have a chance now to really embrace that, to talk about the incredible outcomes — legislatively and otherwise — of the Biden administration as foundational to building strategic economic and social opportunities for everyone, everywhere," Patrick said.

Patrick hosted a Democratic fundraiser over the weekend in Pittsfield, originally intended for Biden. Harris had been set to represent the current president, but after Biden ended his campaign and endorsed her, the excitement around the fundraiser exploded, Patrick said.

They raised almost four times the goal they had set, he said, at $1.5 million.

The venue in Pittsfield was full, and "hundreds of people gathered outside the hall with makeshift signs and stuff. It was just so affirming of the excitement so many of us are feeling."

Patrick joked that Massachusetts is "an ATM for politics," noting how national campaigns primarily pay attention to the state for fundraising purposes.

"For me, part of what was so important about [Harris] keeping the commitment the vice president had made before the torch was passed, was that she showed up in the sort of place that often doesn't get the attention of the candidate or even the campaign," he said.

Patrick said he sees the dynamic in Massachusetts politics as less Democrat vs. Republican, and more insider vs. outsider. "Most people don't feel connected to our politics in Massachusetts, and increasingly that is true nationally. ... Most people just feel left out and left behind."

"Our biggest challenge to democracy today is not Donald Trump, as serious a threat as I think he is, or Project 2025. I think it's cynicism," he said. "We don't talk about folks who don't bother [to vote] because they don't think it makes a difference."

While Patrick had been vocal about a "competitive process" for a new candidate if Biden exited the race, he now considers that "behind us" and is focused on what's ahead.

"The larger mission is not just defeating the former president in November, but the vision of how we improve or help improve the lives of Americans everywhere after we win in November."

And he thinks Harris is starting to focus on that vision.