Gov. Charlie Baker Still Mulling Whether To Run For Third Term

Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday he still hasn't decided whether to run for reelection next year, even after fellow Republican Geoff Diehl announced plans over the weekend to run for governor.

Baker said Wednesday morning that he and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are still discussing future plans with their respective families, with Baker adding he'll make his mind up "soon."

As for Diehl's entry into the contest, Baker said running for office is a personal decision.

"I'm a big believer in participative democracy and if folks decide that they have something to say and they want to have a vehicle to say it by getting in and running, more power to them," Baker told reporters in Springfield.

Baker was challenged by conservative Republican Scott Lively in his last election three years ago, but emerged relatively unscathed with nearly 64 percent of the vote. Diehl, 52, a conservative who lost a bid to challenge U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018, served eight years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

While Baker has remained mum about his future plans, his campaign committee reported receiving contributions of nearly $91,000 in the month of June, considerably more than the $3,400 he raised in the month of May.

Three Democrats have also announced plans to run for governor: State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, Harvard professor Danielle Allen and former state Sen. Ben Downing. Another prominent Democratic elected official, Attorney General Maura Healey, has yet to announce whether she will enter the race.