Left-leaning Acosta to lead labor dept.
Baker move may boost re-election bid
Gov. Charlie Baker’s appointment yesterday of a progressive, anti-Trump activist as the state’s top labor official could aid him politically in his expected re-election fight, where Bay State Democrats have already proven eager to tie the Swampscott Republican to President Trump.
The move to tap banker Rosalin Acosta as his new secretary of labor and workforce development came just hours before Baker announced he’s also adding the state to the U.S. Climate Alliance, a fledgling group hatched by Democrats in the wake of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate Agreement.
Both moves came as state Democrats gather for their annual convention today in Worcester. And for a Republican who’s repeatedly touted his bipartisan chops, Acosta’s appointment could come in handy during his re-election bid, said Dan Payne, a Democratic strategist.
“It’s a point he can make in a debate, if he ever has to debate it: ‘Look at what I got here. I have a cabinet that’s mixed politically,’ ” Payne said. “It suggests to me he doesn’t think he’ll have a difficult time in a (Republican) primary. If he were sensitive to it, he would never have made this move.”
Added Payne: “He may be saying, ‘I’m not going to start campaigning until a year before the election.’ But he’s maneuvering now.”
Acosta — a Cuban-born, Wellesley College-educated banker — will replace another Democrat, Ronald Walker, the first of Baker’s cabinet members to leave since he took office 2 1⁄ 2 years ago. Walker officially resigns June 30, and said he intends to return to the private sector, though he doesn’t have a specific job lined up.
Acosta recently left her job as a vice president at Enterprise Bank in Lowell, but the Amesbury resident has been active in progressive circles, joining with her husband to launch the group Indivisible Northern Essex. Its mission is to support progressive candidates and stop Trump from trying to “reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image,” according to its Facebook page.
“We are very passionate about patriotism,” Acosta told the Newburyport Daily News in April. “Because many of the conservatives have unfortunately laid claim on that issue, they are saying that they are the patriotic individuals and progressive Democrats are not. We are taking that back because it is not theirs to have.”
Baker aides said Acosta was not available for an interview after she was introduced at a morning press conference, but emphasized that she and her husband intend to step down from the group this weekend.
“The governor is pleased to have a bipartisan cabinet and does not have a political litmus test when making appointments,” Baker spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton said.
It’s unclear how local conservatives will greet Acosta’s appointment, but state Rep. Geoff Diehl, a potential U.S. Senate candidate and Trump supporter, indicated he’s ready to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“A great parallel to this hire is Stephanie Pollack, who was a significant activist as far as transportation rights and she was for the gas tax indexing, which both the governor and I opposed,” Diehl said of Baker’s transportation secretary.
“Maybe this new selection will allow (Acosta) to have a different perspective on Republicans,” he added.