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Charles D. Baker

From Ballotpedia

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Charles D. Baker

Republican Party

Prior offices:

Governor of Massachusetts

Years in office: 2015 - 2023

Predecessor:Deval Patrick (D)

Successor:Maura Healey (D)

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Education

High school

Needham High School, 1975

Bachelor's

Harvard University, 1979

Graduate

Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, 1986

Personal

Profession

Venture capitalist

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Charles D. Baker (Republican Party) was theGovernor of Massachusetts. He assumed office on January 8, 2015. He left office on January 5, 2023.

Baker (Republican Party) ran for re-election forGovernor of Massachusetts. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.

In December 2021, Baker stated he would not seek re-election.^[1]

In 2014, Baker ran for governor on a joint ticket with lieutenant gubernatorial nominee,Karyn Polito (R). He succeeded two-term GovernorDeval Patrick (D).^[2]

Baker ran for governor in2010, winning theRepublican nomination but losing to Patrick, the incumbent, in the general election. Patrick decided not to run for re-election in 2014.^[3]^[4]

Before being elected governor of Massachusetts, Baker served as a selectman of Swampscott, Massachusetts from 2004 to 2007, Massachusetts secretary of administration and finance from 1994 to 1998, and Massachusetts undersecretary and then secretary of health and human services from 1991 to 1994. He was also the CEO of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Biography

Baker was born in Elmira, New York, and spent most of his childhood in Needham, Mass.^[8] Baker's father served in various roles in the administrations of PresidentsRonald Reagan (R) andRichard Nixon (R). Baker attended Needham High School and then graduated from Harvard University. He worked for the Massachusetts High Technology Council as a corporate communications director before obtaining an M.B.A. from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.^[5]^[7]

In the 1980s, Baker took a position with the newly founded Pioneer Institute, a think tank. Baker was secretary of health and human services under Gov. Weld (R), then secretary of administration and finance under Weld and then Acting Gov. Paul Cellucci (R). When Baker left the public sector in 1998, he joined Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates as CEO. He then became CEO of the nonprofit Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare.^[5]^[7]

From 2004 to 2007, Baker served as a selectman of Swampscott, Massachusetts. After his unsuccessful 2010 gubernatorial bid, he worked for the investment firm General Catalyst.^[9]

Political career

Governor of Massachusetts (2015-2023)

Baker was first elected to the governor's office onNovember 4, 2014. He was sworn into office on January 8, 2015.^[2]

Swampscott selectman (2004-2007)

Baker served as a selectman of Swampscott, Massachusetts, from 2004-2007.

Elections

2022

See also:Massachusetts gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

Charles D. Baker did not file to run for re-election.

2018

See also:Massachusetts gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Massachusetts

IncumbentCharles D. Baker defeatedJay Gonzalez in the general election for Governor of Massachusetts on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Charles D. Baker (R)	64.7	1,781,341
	Jay Gonzalez (D)	32.2	885,770
	Other/Write-in votes	3.1	85,554

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,752,665 (100.00% precincts reporting)
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts

Jay Gonzalez defeatedRobert Massie in the Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts on September 4, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Gonzalez	64.4	348,434
	Submit photo	Robert Massie	35.6	192,404

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 540,838
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Massachusetts

IncumbentCharles D. Baker defeatedScott Lively in the Republican primary for Governor of Massachusetts on September 4, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Charles D. Baker	63.9	174,126
	Scott Lively	36.1	98,421

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 272,547
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2014

See also:Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2014

The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Primary election

Governor of Massachusetts, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Charles D. Baker	74.1%	116,004
Mark Fisher	25.7%	40,240
Write-in votes	0.2%	336
Total Votes		156,580
Election results viaMassachusetts Secretary of State.

General election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Charles D. Baker/Karyn Polito	48.4%	1,044,573
	Democratic	Martha Coakley/Steve Kerrigan	46.5%	1,004,408
	United Independent	Evan Falchuk/Angus Jennings	3.3%	71,814
	Independent	Scott Lively/Shelly Saunders	0.9%	19,378
	Independent	Jeffrey McCormick/Tracy Post	0.8%	16,295
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	1,858
Total Votes				2,158,326
Election results viaMassachusetts Secretary of State

Click [show] for background information on this race

Baker announced that he would run forGovernor of Massachusetts on September 4, 2013.^[10]Democratic incumbentDeval Patrick, who defeated Baker in the 2010 general election, opted not to seek reelection in 2014.

In the Republican nominating convention held on March 22, 2014, fellow Republican gubernatorial hopefulMark Fisher did not initially obtain the required 15 percent of the vote necessary to appear on a primary ballot, falling six votes shy—out of over 2,500 cast—of facing Baker in a primary election. Baker held 83 percent of the vote while Fisher garnered 14.765 percent. Fisher was ultimately allowed to run in the primary due to a court decision.^[11] Baker defeated Fisher in the Republican primary on September 9, 2014.

Baker and lieutenant gubernatorial running mateKaryn Polito faced the Democratic ticket ofMartha Coakley andSteve Kerrigan and three independent tickets in the general election.

Running mate

Baker announcedKaryn Polito, a 2010 candidate forstate treasurer and former state representative, as his running mate on December 3, 2013.^[12]

Polls

General election
All candidates: October 2014

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Five-way race: October 2014
Poll	Martha Coakley	Charlie Baker	Evan Falchuk	Jeff McCormick	Scott Lively	Don't know/ Refused	Margin of error	Sample size

WBUR October 22-25, 2014	40%	41%	4%	1%	2%	12%	+/-4.4	494
UMass Lowell October 21-25, 2014	41%	45%	3%	2%	1%	8%	+/-3.6	601
The Boston Globe October 19-21, 2014	37%	46%	3%	2%	2%	8%	+/-4.9	400
WBUR October 15-18, 2014	42%	43%	1%	2%	1%	10%	+/-4.4	501
The Boston Globe October 12-14, 2014	37%	39%	3%	2%	2%	17%	+/-4.9	400
WBUR October 8-11, 2014	42%	39%	2%	2%	1%	14%	+/-4.4	500
The Boston Globe October 5-7, 2014	39%	34%	3%	2%	2%	20%	+/-4.9	400
WBUR October 1-4, 2014	41%	39%	2%	2%	1%	15%	+/-4.4	504
UMass Amherst/WBZ September 26-October 2, 2014	48%	44%	2%	2%	2%	2%	+/-5.5	414
AVERAGES	40.78%	41.11%	2.56%	1.89%	1.56%	11.78%	+/-4.6	468.22
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

All candidates through September 2014

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Five-way race: Through September 2014
Poll	Martha Coakley	Charlie Baker	Evan Falchuk	Jeff McCormick	Scott Lively	Don't know/ Refused	Margin of error	Sample size

SocialSphere September 28-30, 2014	36%	39%	2%	1%	1%	21%	+/-4.89	401
The Boston Globe September 25-28, 2014	43.8%	43.2%	2%	1.6%	0.4%	9%	+/-4	500
WBUR September 24-27, 2014	41%	38%	1%	2%	1%	17%	+/-4.4	503
The Boston Globe September 21-23, 2014	38%	40%	2%	2%	1%	18%	+/-4.9	400
Western New England University Polling Institute September 20-28, 2014	43%	44%	2%	2%	1%	8%	+/-4	598
UMass Amherst/WBZ September 19-23, 2014	46%	45%	2%	2%	2%	3%	+/-4.4	600
WBUR September 16-21, 2014	43%	34%	2%	1%	1%	19%	+/-4.4	502
AVERAGES	41.54%	40.46%	1.86%	1.66%	1.06%	13.57%	+/-4.43	500.57
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Four-way race
Poll	Martha Coakley	Charlie Baker	Evan Falchuk	Jeff McCormick	Don't know/ Refused	Margin of error	Sample size

The Boston Globe July 13-15, 2014	38%	33%	1%	8%	19%	+/-5	625
Western New England University Polling Institute March 31-April 7, 2014	54%	25%	3%	3%	15%	+/-5	424
AVERAGES	46%	29%	2%	5.5%	17%	+/-5	524.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Major-party candidates

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 - Coakley v. Baker
Poll	Martha Coakley	Charlie Baker	Independent/other	Don't know/Refused	Margin of error	Sample size

Emerson College Polling Society October 26-29, 2014	42%	48%	4%	6%	+/-3.85	627
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov October 16-23, 2014	45%	41%	1%	13%	+/-3	2,218
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner October 20-22, 2014	45%	44%	5%	5%	+/-4	611
Rasmussen Reports October 13-14, 2014	46%	48%	2%	5%	+/-3	980
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov September 20-October 1, 2014	47%	41%	1%	11%	+/-2	2,389
Rasmussen Reports September 16-17, 2014	42%	42%	5%	10%	+/-4	750
The Boston Globe September 14-16, 2014	39%	36%	6%	19%	+/-4.9	407
WBUR September 11-14, 2014	44%	35%	15%	6%	+/-4.4	504
AVERAGES	43.75%	41.88%	4.88%	9.38%	+/-3.64	1,060.75
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Primary and hypothetical polls

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Four-way race with Grossman
Poll	Steve Grossman	Charlie Baker	Evan Falchuk	Jeff McCormick	Don't know	Refused	Margin of error	Sample size

Western New England University Polling Institute March 31-April 7, 2014	38%	29%	4%	9%	19%	1%	+/-5	424
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Democratic Primary
Poll	Martha Coakley	Steve Grossman	Don Berwick	Joe Avellone	Dan Wolf	Juliette Kayyem	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (September 20-23, 2013)	57%	10%	6%	4%	3%	2%	17%	+/-5.4	324
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Democratic Primary
Poll	Martha Coakley	Steve Grossman	Don Berwick	Don't know	Margin of error	Sample size

University of Massachusetts-Lowell (August 25-31, 2014)	52%	20%	9%	19%	+/-4.55	685
Suffolk University/Boston Herald (August 2014)	42.3%	30%	15.7%	12%	+/-0	400
The Boston Globe (July 13-15, 2014)	46%	18%	5%	30%	+/-5	347
AVERAGES	46.77%	22.67%	9.9%	20.33%	+/-3.18	477.33
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

Governor of Massachusetts 2014 Hypothetical Match-up: Charlie Baker vs. Democratic Candidates
Poll	Charlie Baker	Martha Coakley	Steve Grossman	Donald Berwick	Juliette Kayyem	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size

UMass-Amherst Internet Poll of Massachusetts March 31-April 6, 2014	32%	0%	0%	0%	32%	36%	+/-5.9	500
UMass-Amherst Internet Poll of Massachusetts March 31-April 6, 2014	32%	0%	0%	29%	0%	37%	+/-5.9	500
UMass-Amherst Internet Poll of Massachusetts March 31-April 6, 2014	29%	0%	35%	0%	0%	36%	+/-5.9	500
UMass-Amherst Internet Poll of Massachusetts March 31-April 6, 2014	34%	45%	0%	0%	0%	21%	+/-5.9	500
AVERAGES	31.75%	11.25%	8.75%	7.25%	8%	32.5%	+/-5.9	500
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.