This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.
New reports indicate Republican Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker will not seek re-election.
The Hill reports:
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) will announce on Wednesday that he won’t seek reelection in 2022, ending an eight-year political career that defied the odds in one of America’s bluest states.
A source familiar with Baker’s decision confirmed to The Hill that he will not seek a third term. The Boston Globe reported Wednesday morning that Baker was calling allies to inform them of his decision.
Baker, 65, first ran for governor in 2010, when he lost to incumbent Deval Patrick (D) by a narrow margin in a good year for Republicans. Four years later, he edged out then-Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) by about 40,000 votes out of more than 2 million cast. He skated to reelection in 2018, winning by a 2-to-1 margin after top Democratic challengers declined to enter the race.
In his two terms in office, Baker has fashioned himself in the mold of the corporate chief executive he once was. He rarely courted controversy and rarely injected himself into national politics in a state where his party label puts him in a deep minority.
