Democrats are expressing concern that advisers and aides to former President Obama have already begun signaling which candidate they might support for the White House in 2020.
Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama’s closest confidantes, and David Simas, the CEO of Obama’s foundation, have sent smoke signals urging former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to enter the race.
Simas, who once served as a top aide to Patrick, is an ardent supporter of Patrick, sources tell The Hill, while Jarrett has privately told friends that she would do what it takes to support him.
And Politico reported last month that Jarrett believes a President Patrick is “what my heart desires.”
At the same time, friends of Jarrett’s say that while she would love for Patrick to run, she is also open to other candidates.
Others in Obamaworld have quietly been buzzing about the excitement behind a potential Patrick run.
Axios’s Mike Allen mentioned Patrick as a favorite in Obamaworld in his popular newsletter on Friday.
Other former aides close to Obama say they would support a run by former Vice President Joe Biden, if he decides to launch a bid in 2020.
Obama has not weighed in publicly on the next presidential race, and those around him have said he isn’t looking to tip the scales and believes it is too early to back any one candidate.
But the reports of Jarrett’s and Simas’s interest in Patrick have left people wondering what the former president is thinking.
One top Obama fundraiser, however, said it’s clear the inner circle has a clear favorite in Patrick and that it’s no coincidence they’ve put that storyline out there.
“It’s blatantly overt,” the fundraiser…
