Charlie Baker and the end of moderate Republicanism

Charlie Baker.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

What do you do if you're a popular governor with a good chance to make history as the first in your state to win three consecutive four-year terms? If you're Charlie Baker (R) of Massachusetts, you retire.

Although it contradicted some early indications, the announcement Wednesday was not altogether a surprise. A technocratic centrist of a vanishing breed, Baker polls better with Democrats than with Republicans, and he faced a primary challenge from Geoff Diehl, who successfully pursued former President Donald Trump's endorsement and features it prominently on his website. Baker's overall approval ratings are recovering since their lowpoint, and he could have made a plausible bid as an independent. But he ruled out that option last week, stating, "I've been a Republican for almost all of my adult life, and I believe in my brand of Republicanism."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Samuel Goldman

Samuel Goldman is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate professor of political science at George Washington University, where he is executive director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and director of the Politics & Values Program. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard and was a postdoctoral fellow in Religion, Ethics, & Politics at Princeton University. His books include God's Country: Christian Zionism in America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018) and After Nationalism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). In addition to academic research, Goldman's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.