GOP Governor Charlie Baker’s High Approval Ratings Put Him in Strong Position For Re-Election In Massachusetts

With sky-high approval ratings in deep-blue Massachusetts, GOP Governor Charlie Baker continues to set an example for bipartisan, results-driven leadership. In a new report, FiveThirtyEight writes that Governor Baker “may be the most popular statewide elected official in the U.S. Of either party,” showing his ability to “escape partisan gravity.” With his enduring popularity and record of effective results for Massachusetts, Governor Baker remains in strong position for re-election this November.

FiveThirtyEight writes:

“But the state’s GOP governor, Charlie Baker, is doing just fine, thank you. Actually, way better that fine: Baker, who is running for re-election in November, may be the most popular statewide elected official in the U.S. Of either party.

A MassINC poll released late last week for Boston’s WBUR radio station found that 66 percent of Massachusetts registered voters have a favorable view of Baker while 14 percent have an unfavorable view… But it’s also ahead of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (+17), and she is not only a Democrat but also considered a leading figure in the party and a possible 2020 presidential contender.

We don’t have recent favorability ratings for all governors and U.S. senators. But recent Morning Consult reports detailing the approval ratings of every governor and every senator in their states found Baker at the top of both groups: 69 percent of registered voters in the Bay State said they approved of his performance (16 percent said they disapproved). Coming in second was Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont with a 68 percent approval rating (26 percent disapproval). (Baker ranks No. 1 in net approval, too.)

Governors can escape partisan gravity — Increasingly, blue states elect Democrats to the Senate, red states elect GOP senators, and whenever senators don’t vote the way their state leans in presidential years, they get in deep electoral trouble. Those elections have become nationalized.

State politics don’t seem to have those same dynamics. Four of the six most-popular governors according to the Morning Consult data (Maryland’s Larry Hogan, Vermont’s Phil Scott, Nevada’s Brian Sandoval and Baker) are Republicans in blue states…

Baker seems likely to cruise to victory in November…”