Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick says he will not discourage potential support from political committees raising huge sums from undisclosed donors for his campaign.
The former Massachusetts governor told NBC's "Meet the Press'' that while he's "not crazy about super PACs'' he wouldn't disavow their support because he's doing "catch up'' in the 2020 race.
So-called super PACs can raise unlimited sums and do not have to disclose their donors, and Patrick said that was his only concern with their involvement in his campaign.
He says that "if there is going to be super PAC money that supports me, the sources of that should be disclosed.''
Patrick launched his presidential bid last week, joining an already crowded Democratic field less than three months before the primary voting officially begins.
He was asked Sunday about whether his message is already being represented in the race.
"I have a record of being a bridge-builder," he said, "and I think it's pretty important at a time when not just the party in some respects, but the nation is deeply divided, and divided frankly over issues where we have a remarkable amount of overlap in terms of economic anxiety and social tensions which we have experienced at different times in our history."
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Another centrist in the Democratic party, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, told NBC10 Boston on Sunday that Patrick entering the field is a sign that it's anyone's race.
"To me what it says about the field is that this race is wide open. The leadership has not consolidated. That’s what the polling shows," said Bennet, who was campaigning in New Hampshire on Sunday. "The poll yesterday in Iowa shows that the undecided vote continues to be high and leading candidates continue to fall.
Patrick and many other candidates will be speaking later on Sunday to Democrats in Nevada, where caucuses are held 11 days after the New Hampshire primary.
