Deval Patrick, 2020? 

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts incited speculation about his future presidential ambitions when he hinted at possibly running after the 2016 election at a governor's conference in Washington, D.C.

When asked in an interview with Politico whether he could see running for national office, Patrick, who ruled out running in 2016, said, "Maybe. Maybe."

"That's a decision I have to make along with my wife of 30 years and she's a tough one to convince," Patrick said. 

He said he may return to government after he takes "a break" once his second term ends next year, according to The Boston Globe. 

"I'd like to have another opportunity to serve. I believe in service. I enjoy it," the democratic governor said. "I also like coming and going, you know, because I think that my private-sector life has contributed to how I think about public-sector challenges and what I do in the public sector."

His wife Diane, who is a lawyer, is sometimes reluctant about going along with her husband's political ambitions. Patrick was on the receiving end of criticism early in his term, which caused his wife to descend into a period of depression, for which she received treatment.

Patrick also told associates that he wants to return to the private sector, where he had a profitable career as a corporate attorney before winning the gubernatorial election in 2006. Yet, he has also hinted at wanting to stay in politics. 

Last year, Patrick hired his first campaign manager, John Walsh, who is the former chairman of the state Democratic Party, to run his political action committee. The PAC is called Together PAC, and is intended to support similarly-minded candidates across the nation. 

But Deval's hints about a political future on a national stage comes as his administration deals with a besieged Department of Children and Families and a glitchy health insurance website. 

While Patrick made the recent comments at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, Patrick and his wife have also been given certain privileges that were not given to other governors, such as being guests of President Obama on private social occasions at the White House. 

Patrick also delivered one of the more popular speeches at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which urged Democrats to defend the president's record. 

However, he has stepped on some toes; Patrick endorsed Obama in 2008 over Hillary Rodham Clinton, even though he had worked in the Justice Department under President Clinton. 

Other Massachusetts politicians have also ruled out running in 2016, such as Mitt Romney, former governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.