Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts Says He Won’t Run for Re-election

Politics|Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts Says He Won’t Run for Re-election

Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, a mean Republican who defied erstwhile President Donald J. Trump during his 2 terms, announced connected Wednesday that helium would not question re-election adjacent year.

Mr. Baker couched his determination to measurement speech arsenic 1 helium made to absorption connected pandemic recovery, but helium besides made it wide successful some a missive to supporters and astatine a quality league successful Boston that helium did not privation to equine a run successful which his disloyalty to Mr. Trump would beryllium an issue.

“There is simply a ton of enactment that’s near to beryllium done arsenic we travel retired of this pandemic to rebuild, recreate, reimagine galore of the things that were busted during the people of each of this,” Mr. Baker said. “We judge its astir important that we walk the adjacent twelvemonth focusing connected that, and not focusing connected — let’s telephone it the discourse, and that’s astir apt an insult to the connection discourse, that comes with governmental campaigning.”

Mr. Baker, 65, who is much fashionable successful polling among Democrats and autarkic voters than helium is among chap Republicans, confronted a Trump-backed superior situation and a wide predetermination successful which helium could person faced the state’s fashionable lawyer general, Maura Healey, a Democrat.

A erstwhile wellness attraction executive, Mr. Baker is simply a popular, even-keeled, nonideological New England Republican who has been a proponent of termination rights, same-sex matrimony and immoderate weapon power measures. He would person been the favourite had helium decided to run. But helium was besides a relic of the pre-Trump Republican Party that present exists mostly successful tv greenish rooms and Washington deliberation tanks.

Mr. Baker, on with Govs. Phil Scott of Vermont and Larry Hogan of Maryland, made up a cadre of northeastern Republicans who ran Democratic states during the Trump era. But portion Mr. Hogan has toyed with moving for nationalist bureau arsenic an anti-Trump Republican, Mr. Baker avoided commenting connected Mr. Trump and seldom appeared connected cablegram television.

Mr. Baker made nary notation to Mr. Trump successful the missive announcing his determination not to tally again. But helium did caution that a hard re-election run would distract from the state’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

“We privation to absorption connected recovery, not connected the grudge matches governmental campaigns tin devolve into,” helium wrote.

Asked by reporters successful Boston if helium was shaken by Mr. Trump’s October endorsement of a Republican rival, Geoff Diehl, a erstwhile authorities representative, Mr. Baker looked visibly angry.

“No, not shaken,” helium said. “No, not astatine all. Nope, not astatine all.”

Pressed again, Mr. Baker insisted Mr. Trump’s animus played nary portion successful his decision.

“Which portion of no? No, not astatine all,” helium said.

Mr. Baker’s departure from the contention volition marque it a high-profile contention betwixt antithetic branches of the Democratic Party, astir apt pitting Ms. Healey, of the establishment’s halfway left, against the progressives Sonia Chang-Díaz, a authorities senator, Ben Downing, a erstwhile authorities senator. Danielle Allen, a Harvard prof who received a MacArthur genius assistance for her enactment connected contention and governmental theory, entered the contention successful June.

Ms. Healey has yet to denote her candidacy but has said she would see the race. Ms. Chang-Díaz and Mr. Downing person been campaigning for months.

Mr. Baker faced a hard Republican superior situation from Mr. Diehl, who was president of Mr. Trump’s 2016 run successful Massachusetts. Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Diehl successful October portion denouncing Mr. Baker arsenic a “Republican successful sanction only.”

Mr. Diehl is acold little apt than Mr. Baker to clasp the Massachusetts governor’s bureau for Republicans. Mr. Trump is highly unpopular successful the state, which backed Joseph R. Biden Jr. by 33 percent points successful 2020.

One motion of Mr. Baker’s diminished level of enactment with rank-and-file Massachusetts Republicans came successful a statement from Jim Lyons, the president of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

“It’s wide to maine that Charlie Baker was shaken by President Trump’s endorsement of different Republican candidate,” Mr. Lyons said. “We look guardant to moving with President Trump arsenic we proceed to rebuild the Massachusetts Republican Party.”

Mr. Trump besides weighed successful and took recognition for Mr. Baker’s decision.

“He shouldn’t adjacent beryllium considered a Republican,” Mr. Trump said successful a statement. “We privation him well!”

Ellen Barry contributed reporting.