Massachusetts elects Republican Charlie Baker as next governor

(Image credit: Facebook.com/Charlie Baker)

last updated 8 January 2015

Republican Charlie Baker has won the Massachusetts gubernatorial race over Attorney General Martha Coakley. With 98 percent of the vote counted, Baker led Coakley 48.4 percent to 46.7 percent.

That Massachusetts elected a Republican as its chief executive isn't too surprising, despite the state's deep blue tint. Four of the state's past five governors have been Republicans, most notably former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The defeat is another humbling loss for Coakley, though, who in 2010 suffered a stunning defeat to Scott Brown in the state's special senate election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Coakley was heavily favored to win that race, but a series of gaffes let Brown come from behind to win, sticking Coakley with the unfortunate nickname "Choakley." Brown lost his own race Tuesday, to represent neighboring New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate.

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.