And at other campaign events, Mr. Patrick drew small crowds. Some of the attendees admitted that they were already committed to other candidates, putting long odds on his chances.
“We never know who is going to succeed in capturing the imagination,” said Skip Berrien, a New Hampshire state representative, who was among about 40 people who came to hear Mr. Patrick speak at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter Saturday evening.
Mr. Berrien gave Mr. Patrick “little chance.”
“He came in late, and also his fund-raising is probably difficult, and his poll numbers are minuscule,” said Mr. Berrien, who lives in Exeter and said he had endorsed Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
The most recent poll in New Hampshire, which surveyed 519 registered Democrats and was released Sunday, found that only 5 percent of respondents were even considering Mr. Patrick. Only 1 percent said they would vote for him if the election were held today. Another 1 percent said he would be their second choice.
“Deval has been so great on so many sustainability issues,” said Gary Hirshberg, a founder of Stonyfield, the New Hampshire-based yogurt company. “I believe he would be an extraordinary president and he’s my first choice for V.P.”
Mr. Hirshberg’s first choice for president, though, is Mr. Buttigieg, he said, even as he was attending a small event for Mr. Patrick on Sunday in Holderness. (He had informed Mr. Patrick of his support for Mr. Buttigieg beforehand.)
More than a year ago, Mr. Patrick had been making big plans for a White House run.
“We had a date to announce, a launch plan, all of that,” he said in an interview at his state headquarters.