Politico-John Legend Supporting Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick

John Legend: AP

(Story reported by Kiki Ryan for Politico)

It's usually pretty easy to divine why celebrities endorse a particular politician: They're longtime supporters, they have worked with the pol in the past or the pol represents their hometown. But when it comes to John Legend, who hails from Illinois and lives in New York City, things are a little more expansive: Just last week, the singer attended a fundraiser for Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Why, exactly?

"I support what he's doing in Massachusetts; particularly, we've had a lot of conversations on education policy, and I think he's doing the right thing in that area," Legend told POLITICO Wednesday night, at a party celebrating his appearance on the cover of Capitol File's summer magazine. It makes sense, given Legend's ongoing commitment to education reform. When asked whether he had a connection to the Bay State, Legend took it even broader.

"I lived in Boston for a year and I have plenty of friends who live there and, uh, I don't have a huge connection there, but I care about how things go in Boston, and I care about how things go all around the country and all around the world," he said. "If I can help out a candidate who I think is doing the right thing, I'll try to do that," he said.

(click here to read the full story on the Politico website)