Telegraph photos by GEORGE PELLETIER Former two-term Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democratic presidential candidate, looks on during a Wednesday campaign event in Nashua.

NASHUA – The question on everyone’s mind is, “Did Deval Patrick enter the race too late?”

The former two-term Massachusetts governor, who joined the Democratic primary field in mid-November, spoke one-on-one with The Telegraph on Wednesday, and dismissed the notion that he is too late for the party.

It may not be a question of when, but rather why he’s entered the race.

“I noticed with Democrats, we tend to focus on the how and not the why,” he said. “I’ve been worried since 2016. I had, perhaps, a naïve hope that gravity of the office would impose itself on (President Donald Trump) and he wouldn’t be quite as bad. But in fact, he’s worse.”

Patrick said many voters find it distressing to see Trump at the helm.

“Increasingly, like many others, I have felt that the democracy wouldn’t survive another four years,” he said. “But to me, it’s not just the process of order of our democracy. It’s the character of the country, that we would permit this. I don’t believe that all the people who voted for Trump are haters. I think it’s a mistake to talk about them that way. There’s just a lot of folks who feel unseen and unheard.”

Patrick has been polling at close to 0%. But the resilient candidate recognizes the talent pool of Democrats seeking the nomination, and still sees a path for himself.

Patrick’s plan has been to integrate smaller groups — not just the large crowds — and connect with voters in more intimate settings, such as the one on Wednesday afternoon at the Unitarian Church in Nashua.

“This is about how we see ourselves as a community,” he said. “People are feeling unseen and unheard in a lot of places right now. But if we could speak to that, not only would it be a winning message, but it would actually be an opportunity to unite us. And in some ways, reinvent us, which we do in this country every once in a while.”

Patrick said he’s spoken with other Democratic candidates. The campaign staff who lead their candidate often needle the man or woman, saying they need to be this, or they need to be that. Patrick said he’s only talking about who he is.

“I said, ‘I can do this,'” he said. “I got encouragement from a lot of people, including some of other people who are in the race now. But I feel that message is still missing. That approach, not just in politicking but the governing is still missing. And at the risk of rupturing some relationships I had, I decided to get in anyway.”

Trump supporters are known for their passion. So, when asked if he can convince Trump supporters to reconsider their vote, Patrick made note that much of the frustration that Trump supporters have is “carefully cultivated.”

“Frankly, the notion that the president, any president, would undertake to govern only the people who voted for him or her, is deeply troubling,” Patrick said. “And deeply disabling of our democracy. But to be clear, I don’t see people in categories.”

Patrick said he would talk to anybody. Anybody.

“There are more unenrolled independents in Massachusetts than there are registered Democrats and Republicans combined,” he continued. “People aren’t buying 100% of what either party is selling. But it’s their government, too. It’s their civic life.”

Patrick recalled an episode in Newmarket, where a young man asked him about his interest in banning assault rifles. He was a U.S. Marine and learned how to take care of his weapon.

“It’s a weapon of war and it belongs on the battlefield, not in neighborhoods,” Patrick said. “What’s next, do you want a tank? And someone later pointed out that even Marines can’t even walk around with their M-16s on the base. But I wasn’t trying to belittle him. It turns out, that he was there on red flag laws, closing gun show loopholes, national registration, background checks.”

Patrick said that he and the young man reached a commonality, something that Patrick strives for his approach to campaigning. He also said he recognizes his appeal, how ever small or large, that he has from those voters who appreciate his time governing the Commonwealth.

“It’s been nice,” he said. “I’ve met folks who live in southern New Hampshire and work in Massachusetts,” he said. “I’ve met a bunch of folks who have retired here from Massachusetts. Campaigning is a grind, but it’s a wonder.”

Later, Patrick spoke to members and visitors of the Unitarian Universal Church on Lowell Street in Nashua. Topics included immigration.

“What I hate about politics, is that we treat these things as if you can’t have one without the other,” he said. “These are false choices. You can’t immigration reform without having open borders. An ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agency that is demilitarized and that is behaving in a way that doesn’t demean and dehumanize people in order to enforce the law, is absolutely essential. And I think we do need comprehensive immigration reform, which includes bringing 11 million out of the shadows and into mainstream life.”

Patrick said the current administration wants the issues, not the solution.

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