Massachusetts Republican Governor Baker Won’t Seek a Third Term

  • Popular Republican chief faced Trump-backed primary challenger
  • Several Democrats have already announced plans to run for seat
Charlie BakerPhotographer: Erin Clark/Pool/Getty Images
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Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, among a disappearing breed of moderate Republicans elected as chief executives in New England, won’t seek a third term in 2022.

His lieutenant governor, Karyn Polito, who had amassed more than $2 million in campaign funds, also bowed out. In a joint statement, the pair said running would have been “a distraction” from continuing to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. Their work, they said, “cannot and should not be about politics and the next election.”