The field of potential 2020 Democratic candidates just got a little smaller

As the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries inch closer, another potential candidate is counting himself out.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is set to announce that he will not run for president in 2020, both The New York Times and Politico report. Patrick traveled the country campaigning for Democrats in the midterms, and his advisers launched a political action committee in August. Politico also reports that members of former President Barack Obama's inner circle were encouraging him to throw his hat in the ring.

But Patrick expressed some concerns about running during an appearance on the Axe Files podcast this fall. "It's hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational, or a celebrity — and I'm none of those things and I'm never going to be any of those things," Patrick said, per the Times.

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The news comes after attorney Michael Avenatti, who had been publicly teasing a 2020 run, took himself out of the running. But while we're seeing a winnowing of potential candidates, don't expect a slim line-up, as The Washington Post notes 20 or more Democrats may be looking to launch White House bids by the spring.