STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, AUG. 30, 2013…… Political insiders expect Republican Charles Baker to announce sometime around the Labor Day holiday Monday that he’ll take another shot at running for governor next year, after he was defeated by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2010. GOP activists are presuming a second Baker run, especially since former Sen. Scott Brown has said he won’t pursue the Corner Office over the next year. Brown surprised party insiders when he opted against running for U.S. Senate in a special election after he was defeated by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. And while Baker is expected to run, he’s acknowledged that the ability to win is factoring into his decision-making. As he knows firsthand, it’s not easy - Brown and Mitt Romney in 2002 are the only Republicans to win statewide in the past 15 years. If Baker doesn’t run, the GOP will need to find a candidate to join five Democrats already running. But at this moment, it appears the party is poised to coalesce around the Swampscott business executive. Republicans are already staking their electoral hopes around a pair of potential 2014 ballot questions aimed at rolling back new tax laws that require the 26.5 cent per gallon gas tax to rise with inflation and subject computer design services to the 6.25 percent sales tax. If he leaps into the race, Baker would join four Democrats with active campaign and who are watching to see whether Attorney General Martha Coakley and Congressman Michael Capuano will join them. Coakley by next week must determine which of the many initiative petitions offered this summer by activists are eligible for the 2014 ballot. Voters in Boston also face a deadline to register next week if they hope to participate in the Sept. 24 preliminary election that will determine which two candidates will face each other in November with the right to succeed longtime Mayor Thomas Menino as the prize. There are signs that Beacon Hill leaders may revisit the so-called tech tax before any repeal effort ramps up. In the face of strong protests from business interests and Republicans, some leading Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick have expressed concern about the impacts of the tax on the economy and the governor is hosting a major meeting in his office next week with stakeholders to discuss the issues and possible next steps. The details and logistics of the meeting are still being worked out, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting.
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 01:21:07 +0000