Baker gets nods from Democrats
Governor earns bipartisan support
Massachusetts Democrats supporting Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican seeking his second term in the deep blue Bay State, are particularly unprecedented in today’s hyper-partisan political climate. “It’s rare to see a governor of one party get such strong backing from members of the other party,” former Mitt Romney adviser Ryan Williams said. “Given the state’s Democratic tilt, to be as popular as Gov. Baker and to win convincingly as he likely will on Election Day is nothing short of a miracle. It’s unheard of.” A number of Democrats have gone against the grain to endorse the Baker-Polito ticket, including Rep. Dave Nangle and Rep. Chris Markey, nine Democratic mayors and seven independent mayors. “One of the things I think is most attractive about his candidacy is, he really has proven he can work in a bipartisan way. Why not have someone from the other party support him,” Markey said. “It’s disheartening that we put party over the people we govern. Obviously I’m a Democrat and he’s a Republican and we disagree on certain things, but overall I think the message is, we can all work together for common goals.” Chairman of the Democratic Party Gus Bickford, however, said that Democrats supporting Baker instead of his Democratic challenger, Jay Gonzalez, “isn’t unique.” “It’s frustrating,” Bickford said. “But it also reflects on the fact that Charlie Baker has been in office controlling budgets for four years. Jay Gonzalez is not the incumbent, so I think that it says more about Jay that he’s got so many Democrats behind him challenging Charlie Baker.” Many local mayors spoke of issues that impacted their local communities — including Nor’easters that caused immense damage, the opioid crisis and, most recently, the explosions across the Merrimack Valley caused by over-pressurization of gas lines — and how the Baker-Polito administration helped. “I endorsed him before this happened, but the emergency that just happened cemented my belief in the governor’s inherent and instinctual leadership at this level,” Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera said. “He’s dealing with my problems and he’s dealing with the problems of other communities at the same time, but you never feel like you’re second in line.” “This is not about my personal politics as a Democrat but as a mayor and what is in the best interest for my city of Newburyport,” Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday said. “Both Charlie and Karyn come from leadership positions in their communities and truly understand the key role cities and towns hold across our commonwealth.” “I’m grateful for Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito’s bipartisan leadership and support for communities like Revere,” Mayor Brian Arrigo said. “They have made the important investments we need to support our schools and grow our local economy, while taking on the big issues that are important to making Massachusetts, and Revere, a safer and healthier place in which to live, work, start a business and raise a family.” Earlier this week, Baker was also endorsed by both the Major City Police Chiefs for the group’s first-ever endorsement, and the political arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, which calls itself the largest gun violence prevention organization in the U.S. The Service Employees International Union, which historically has backed Democrats for public office in Massachusetts, decided to remain neutral in the contest for governor after meeting with both candidates last month.