Baker Poised To Run For 3rd Term

SPRINGFIELD, MA — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has yet to say whether he'll run for a third term, but actions —or, in this case, a fundraiser invitation — speak louder than words.

The invitation to the Dec. 14 fundraiser at Student Prince in Springfield was emailed to supporters Wednesday. Backers are being asked to donate $1,000 per person to the Baker Committee and the Polito Committee to attend the event, which begins at 5:30.

"Let’s keep the pedal to the metal and the momentum rolling!" the invitation, which was paid for by the two committees, reads.

Officially, Baker has been evasive, and at times, combative, when asked about his reelection plans. "I can’t believe you’re asking me that... I’ve spoken to that issue," Baker said this week when he was once again asked about his plans for a third term in Needham.

Baker had $667,000 in his reelection account after raising $173,300 in September — his best monthly fund-raising total in two years. But at the same point in 2017, Baker had $6.5 million. By comparison, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito — seen as the favored Republican candidate if Baker does not run for a third term — had $2.3 million in her campaign war chest at the end of September.

On the other side of the aisle, several prominent Democrats are waiting for Baker's decision before they jump into the governor's race. Attorney General Maura Healey is the person most likely to enter the race —and win the Democratic nomination — if Baker does not enter the race.

But Baker remains popular in Massachusetts, having overseen the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, the recovery from 2018's Merrimack Valley gas explosions and the snowy winter of 2015 that strained patience and the state's transportation system.

As a moderate, Baker is often called a RINO —a "Republican In Name Only" by more conservative Republican voters. Some of those hard-line Republicans have taken to holding regular protests outside Baker's Swampscott home, leading to speculation he may be tiring of public life.

Earlier this month, Commonwealth suggested the decision hinges on Baker's wife, Lauren. "When people urge Baker to run for president, he often says talk to his wife," Commonwealth editor Bruce Mohl wrote. "She took an active role in the races he won in 2014 and again in 2018, but she may be tiring of the protesters outside their house in Swampscott and think it's time to start the next stage of their life."

Dave Copeland is Patch's regional editor for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).