FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts–Republican Charlie Baker was elected Massachusetts Governor on Tuesday; Fox and ABC called the victory. Baker beat his opponent, Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley, after a tight race in which nearly every vote counted.
Baker, a former health insurance executive, will replace Massachusetts’ current governor, Democrat Deval Patrick.
Baker’s win is notable, given that Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-1 in Massachusetts among registered voters. Democrats additionally dominate the state’s legislature.
Coakley has failed at winning over Massachusetts in the past; in 2010, she lost a special senate election to Republican Scott Brown. Critics complain that Coakley has little charisma–in 2010, she complained about shaking voters’ hands “in the cold” outside of Fenway Park.
This time around has not been much better for Coakley. The Boston Globe, typically thought of as a left-of-center publication, snubbed the Attorney General in favor of Baker.
The Globe’s endorsement said, “Baker could be counted on to preserve and extend educational reforms, to ensure the rigorous administration of new funds for transportation, to knowledgeably oversee the cost-containment law now reshaping the state’s signature health care industry. At a difficult inflection point in state government, Massachusetts needs a governor who’s focused on steady management and demonstrable results.”
Despite the race being called in Baker’s favor, Coakley has refused to give a concession speech.
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