During the 2008 Democratic primaries, Patrick came to the defense of presidential candidate Barack Obama following plagiarism allegations that key phrases from an Obama stump speech were very similar to words used during Patrick's own 2006 gubernatorial run.
The claims were largely dismissed after Patrick explained that he had encouraged their use.

After Obama's 2008 election as president, speculation arose that Patrick would be chosen by Obama to serve as United States Attorney General, but the post ultimately went to Eric Holder.

During the 2012 Presidential election, Patrick served as a surrogate for the Obama campaign.
Patrick generated controversy when he took a position that directly opposed that of the campaign, defending the business practices of the Boston-based private equity firm Bain Capital, which was founded by Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee.

Following the 2012 presidential election, Patrick was considered to be a potential successor to Holder, although Patrick had said he would not consider any other position as long as he remained governor.
Speculation grew once again in September 2014, when Holder announced his intention to step down.
The position was subsequently given to Loretta Lynch.

In March 2016, Patrick was named by USA Today as a possible Obama nominee to fill the U.S. Supreme Court associate justice seat, vacated by the February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia.
During the 2008 Democratic primaries, Patrick came to the defense of presidential candidate Barack Obama following plagiarism allegations that key phrases from an Obama stump speech were very similar to words used during Patrick's own 2006 gubernatorial run. The claims were largely dismissed after Patrick explained that he had encouraged their use.
After Obama's 2008 election as president, speculation arose that Patrick would be chosen by Obama to serve as United States Attorney General, but the post ultimately went to Eric Holder.
During the 2012 Presidential election, Patrick served as a surrogate for the Obama campaign. Patrick generated controversy when he took a position that directly opposed that of the campaign, defending the business practices of the Boston-based private equity firm Bain Capital, which was founded by Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee.
Following the 2012 presidential election, Patrick was considered to be a potential successor to Holder, although Patrick had said he would not consider any other position as long as he remained governor. Speculation grew once again in September 2014, when Holder announced his intention to step down. The position was subsequently given to Loretta Lynch.
In March 2016, Patrick was named by USA Today as a possible Obama nominee to fill the U.S. Supreme Court associate justice seat, vacated by the February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia.
Deval Patrick