Charlie Baker is the Republican candidate for governor, opposing Democratic incumbent Deval Patrick. Baker has history of serving in Republican politics and in state government. His father, Charles Baker Sr. worked in the executive branch under the Nixon and Reagan administrations. His son himself served Republican governor William Weld as Undersecretary of Health and Human Services in the 1990s. He later took the positions of Secretary of Human Health and Services and Secretary of Administration and Finance respectively during the rest of Weld's term. During his tenure as Secretary of Administration and Finance, he became directly responsible for financing the Big Dig Project in Boston. After leaving state government in 1999, Baker became CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Under his leadership, Harvard Pilgrim received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, receiving the title of America's Best Health Care for five years in a row.Bake has a built a sizable reputation over the years for his work in state government and the private sector. In a climate of anti-incumbency, Baker has a favorable chance of defeating Patrick in November. Much of the public's frustration is aimed at Democrats in power, who have seemed unable to effectively deal with the economic crisis. Given that Massachusetts voters elected Republican Scott Brown a US senator are signs that a conservative wave could give Baker a victory.
Baker still has to, however, compete in a state which is overwhelmingly liberal and Democratic. Most state residents are registered as Democrats. Patrick has the advantage of the incumbency, being that voters might not want to get rid of an experienced politician in such times. Baker also has to contend with the possibility that independent Tim Cahill could take votes away from him. If Baker does win, it will be a very narrow win.
Information obtained from Wikipedia & CharlieBaker2010.com
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