WASHINGTON — As former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick mulls whether to mount a 2020 presidential bid, he’s making his first campaign-style trip of the year with a swing through Texas this weekend to support Democrats running for Congress.
Patrick will campaign on Sunday for Colin Allred, a Democrat who is challenging Representative Pete Sessions in a district that includes Dallas, according to a person familiar with Patrick’s plans. It’s rated as one of the most competitive seats in the country by the Cook Political Report.
He’s also meeting with Representative Beto O’Rourke, the Democrat mounting a strong challenge to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, said the person, who was not authorized to provide details about the trip.
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Patrick is in Texas to give an address to the NAACP convention in San Antonio on Monday. The speech will be a chance for Patrick to test out his message and rationale for running should he decide to become a presidential candidate.
Patrick campaigned in Alabama for Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones, who won a long-shot Senate race last year, and he has made some under-the-radar trips around the country as he’s considering running for president.
One of those jaunts was to Kansas, where he told a public radio station that a presidential run is “on his radar.”
He’s not the only Massachusetts politician considering a presidential run: Senator Elizabeth Warren is eyeing the race, too, and she has been actively campaigning and raising money for Democrats ahead of the midterm election.
Patrick served as Massachusetts’ governor from 2007 to 2015.
He’s now a managing director at Bain Capital in Boston.
Annie Linskey can be reached at annie.linskey@globe.com