No signs of 2022 campaign for Charlie Baker, but Karyn Polito gearing up

Battered by coronavirus critics on the left and right and facing a potential intra-party challenge, Gov. Charlie Baker looks increasingly like he’ll pass on a third term and instead hand off the campaign to his lieutenant governor, Karyn Polito.

The signs are subtle but the Republican governor has done little to prepare himself for another campaign in 2022 while Polito has increased her visibility as head of the state’s reopening board.

Baker’s fundraising has slowed to a crawl over the last few months.

Baker raised just $885 in the month of November, according to the most recent campaign finance filings, compared to more than $46,000 for Polito.

The governor’s fundraising coffers have shrunk in half over the last year while Polito has nearly $2 million in the bank, according to recent reports.

The pandemic has also taken a clear mental and physical toll on Baker. While he has delivered the bad news about more coronavirus restrictions, the lieutenant governor has taken on more of a role as an optimistic advocate for small businesses hammered by the economic toll of the COVID-19 crisis.

“2020 has been exceptionally difficult for all of us, especially our businesses and our workforce,” Polito said last week. “But there are signs that the future will be better and brighter. We all just need to hang in there just a little bit longer to fight the virus. We are optimistic that we will be back to normal soon.”

Baker, by contrast, has delivered stern lecture after lecture to Massachusetts residents warning them to abide by social distancing and business restrictions the state has imposed.

Playing the part of the bearer of bad news may be starting to take a toll on the governor’s popularity ratings.

A poll earlier this month by Suffolk University showed Baker’s approval ratings dropped by nearly 10 points as more voters have begun to question his coronavirus strategy and decision-making.

His approval rating handling the pandemic is still high — more than 70% of voters say he’s done a good job — but the drop in poll numbers has to have Baker’s team a little concerned.

The news comes as one prominent Republican, former U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl, has begun making noises about running for governor in 2022, tapping into sharp discontent with Baker among conservative Republicans.

“Considering the run. Will have more to say after the new year,” Diehl texted to the Herald.

And even Democrats have lately taken on a more aggressive posture against Baker, criticizing his failure to impose even tougher coronavirus restrictions and taking aim at his move to send back a police reform bill and reject a bill expanding abortion access.

Democrats have also sought to tie Polito to Baker’s decisions, anticipating she may run for the top spot in 2022.

Polito has been a loyal lieutenant throughout Baker’s two terms, but she hasn’t carved out much of a political path separate from the governor’s.

A Polito-Diehl matchup in 2022 would likely be a bloodbath, pitting the conservative Trump wing against more moderate, establishment Republicans on Polito’s side.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2WMxAx9