Tito seeks Deval’s counsel for bid
City Councilor Tito Jackson is calling on Deval Patrick for help in his attempt to dethrone Mayor Martin J. Walsh, but the former governor might have bigger ambitions that will keep him out of the fray.
“Most politicians are pretty riskaverse, especially those who have eyes on potentially higher office,” said University of Massachusetts professor Erin O’Brien, saying Patrick could be eyeing a run against President-elect Donald J. Trump in 2020 and thus unwilling to alienate Walsh and his political machine. “Why step on the toes of the existing mayor? Self-interest kicks in.”
Jackson said on Boston Herald Radio’s “Morning Meeting” show yesterday that he had spoken with Patrick and asked for his support, but didn’t say if an endorsement was promised.
“I think he’s a little busy right now,” said Jackson, who worked in Patrick’s administration and served as his political director during his re-election campaign. He added that Patrick — a managing director at Bain Capital — wished him well and gave him advice for the upcoming race.
“It’s not about beating up on folks,” Jackson said of seeking Patrick’s counsel. “It’s about bringing people to the table and moving folks forward, and being able to build bridges and tear down walls in the city of Boston. And he probably said it way more eloquently than I, but yes, he was very encouraging.”
Patrick didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
Doug Rubin, a Democratic consultant who was Patrick’s chief of staff and helped Walsh’s 2013 campaign, said the former governor was “one of the best campaigners I’ve ever worked for,” and could draw on significant support in the city. But while he has spoken with Patrick recently, they did not discuss the upcoming race.
“I don’t have any inside knowledge, both of them were supporters of Gov. Patrick, so he’s got to weigh this for himself,” he said. “People forget that Marty was a strong supporter of the governor all along. You’ve got two really strong supporters in that race.”
Rubin and his consulting firm, Northwind Strategies, which employees many former Patrick administration officials, volunteered for the Walsh campaign during the 2013 race. Rubin said he’s unsure if he will join Walsh’s re-election effort, but said the company will not work for Jackson.
O’Brien, who served on Walsh’s transition team, said Patrick could be thinking of elections in 2020 instead of 2017. Walsh has a formidable getout-the-vote operation that was put to use for Hillary Clinton last year, O’Brien said, and Patrick could see an upside in keeping Walsh happy.