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Massachusetts GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, A Trump Critic, Won’t Seek Re-Election

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker will not seek re-election next year.

Sources reportedly told Politico that Baker’s decision surprised some and they worry it will ripple down the 2022 ballot in Massachusetts.

“One of the most popular governors in the country, Baker was the GOP’s best hope of holding onto the governor’s office in a solidly blue state. But Baker’s been increasingly at odds with his own party. And he faced significant political headwinds if he chose to run for a third term, including a conservative primary challenger backed by former President Donald Trump and attacks from across the political spectrum on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and climate change,” Politico reported.

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“Those close to Baker had recently described a two-term governor torn over whether to seek what in Massachusetts would be an unprecedented third consecutive term. He kept operatives, donors, and observers guessing late into the year even as he ramped up fundraising throughout the fall after pausing those activities for most of the pandemic,” the outlet continued.

Politico reported:

The stratospheric approval ratings Baker enjoyed throughout most of his seven years in the office took a dip during Covid-19, and he faced some of the worst criticism of his gubernatorial career over the state’s initially rocky vaccine rollout. One recent survey showed Baker with higher job approval ratings among Democrats and independents than among members of his own party.

Other recent surveys from Democrat-aligned firms showed him trailing behind Trump-endorsed former state Rep. Geoff Diehl in a Republican primary and suggested the incumbent had a better path forward as an independent rather than continuing with his own party — though Baker repeatedly rejected the idea he’d desert his party.

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He said he blanked his ballot for president in 2016 and 2020 so as not to vote for Trump and emerged as a persistent critic of the president’s handling of the pandemic. Baker also supported Trump’s second impeachment and rejected the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was rife with fraud — prompting direct attacks from Trump and the endorsement of Diehl for governor. Baker has increasingly and publicly clashed with the pro-Trump chair of his state party as well.

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One could argue that Baker’s anti-Trump comments may have him worried about his chances of winning re-election.

Baker supported the first impeachment of then-President Trump in 2019 and called on him to be ousted from office after the incident at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

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