Massachusetts GOP Gov. Charlie Baker opts against reelection bid

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday he will not run for reelection in 2022.

The two-term moderate Republican governor and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito delivered the announcement in a joint statement, saying another hard-fought campaign would hinder their ability to address the issues facing the state.

“We want to focus on recovery, not on the grudge matches political campaigns can devolve into,” Mr. Baker and Ms. Polito said.

Like fellow GOP Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, Mr. Baker made a name for himself inside the party as someone who could win in a deep blue state and who had no interest in tying himself to former President Trump and his no-holds-barred brand of politics. Mr. Baker left his presidential ballot blank in 2016 and 2020 instead of voting for Mr. Trump.

The profile resonated with moderate voters, but infuriated far-right activists in the party.

Mr. Trump also took note. In October, he endorsed state Rep. Geof Diehl’s primary challenge against Mr. Baker. Mr. Diehl ran as a Trump Republican against Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018, but lost by 24 percentage points.

Mr. Baker said his decision had nothing to do with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump, however, had a different take.

“RINO Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has announced that, because I didn’t endorse him and he is incapable of getting the Republican nomination, he will not be running for reelection,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “He’s been very selfish, and is bad news for the Republican Party—actually, he shouldn’t even be considered a Republican.”

Mr. Baker has spent the past year battling the coronavirus pandemic and all the associated political and pragmatic challenges. Bay State political watchers said Mr. Baker would have been favored to win a third term.

His decision leaves the race wide open and could give Democrats a boost of momentum in their quest to recapture the governorship.

Mr. Baker assumed office in 2015. He took the reins from Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat who held the post from 2006 to 2015.

Mr. Baker and Ms. Polito said they were looking forward to spending more time with their families.

“Done right, these jobs require an extraordinary amount of time and attention, and we love doing them,” they said. “But we both want to be there with Lauren and Steve and our children for the moments, big and small, that our families will experience going forward.”