This is what she said in an interview with the Herald a month before the election, when the party's innovative policy wonk Steve Maharey was retiring.
Q: Who is Labour's next Maharey?
A: It may well be people like Phil Twyford who are thinkers. Steve is unique. He came out of that background in sociology - a thinker about society and social policy. But someone like Phil Twyford who has a good broad perspective, worked overseas, worked for Oxfam, interested in development, I think he is the sort of person who will develop into that kind of thinker and play that sort of role..
He has been the key co-ordinator of the party policy outside the parliamentary wing so he has played a pretty critical role in putting policy together. Phil's a person of the future.
It wasn't the only time she expressed high hopes for him.
Twyford oversaw some substantial policy rethinks when he ran the party's policy council for a few years and is now making a name taking on more seasoned politician Act leader Rodney Hide, and National, over the Supercity amalgamation.
I heard two theories over the weekend as to why Twyford has not done well in securing an Auckland electorate to stand in.
One of his supporters said it was because he hadn't sucked up to top people. Someone else said that he only sucked up to the top people and expected to advance himself by that sort of patronage patronage rather than on the ground work.
So what happened?
Mt Albert: Twyford certainly once had the patronage of Clark. And patronage by Clark was everything under her rule. Carmel Sepuloni, for example, was virtually unknown in the party in 2008 and was given a winnable place on the list with Clark's patronage.
Twyford lost Clark's patronage soon after the election defeat after inquiring what her intentions were in Mt Albert.
Clark was going through grief and the inquiry was felt by her circle to be highly insensitive.
There is no doubt that Clark had once seen Twyford as a worthy successor in Mt Albert. That sentiment may have been weaking but his actions after the election completely settled it - he no longer had any inside running.
When Clark announced her intentions to resign, in her own time, a win in the byelection by Twyford, a sitting list MP, would have freed up a list spot for Judith Tizard to return to Parliament. That was the reason the party gave for persuading him not to stand. (Judith blames the media but it was, of course, the party's decision).
Even if there had not been a Tizard factor at play, I think Twyford still would have been persuaded not to stand on the basis that Labour needed to put up a new face, David Shearer, not someone who was already an MP.
Goff and Clark were desperate to keep Mt Albert.
