BSO: Bye Bye Baker

Wow, what a surprise - Governor Baker is not running for re-election!

photo by keith sikes

Even more surprising is the decision by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito to also decline to run. Here she is with Valley GOP activists Tom McCarthy of Springfield and Dr. Jay Fleitman of Northampton.

So can the Republicans hold on to the top office? The current frontrunner for the nomination now that Baker has bowed out is Geoff Diel, a former state rep who has the endorsement of former President Trump. However, Diel has not shown he can win a statewide race. In fact, he has already run statewide for U.S. Senate, but managed to lose by almost 25 points even against the obnoxious Elizabeth Warren.

Jumping into the fray to challenge Diel is the always interesting and entertaining Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, but he too ran against Warren, as a third party candidate, but received less than 4% of the vote.

So who are the more electable GOP candidates that may step forward? Alas, the Republican farm team is so thin that no name comes immediately to mind. Don Humason? However, former Mass GOP head Linda Nassour struck a hopeful tone in Commonwealth magazine, "We actually have a bunch of people who are super qualified, who would be amazing candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, and I think we will see them come out."

We shall see.

This is a very Northampton bumper sticker.

Here is my next door neighbor Ruthie Woodring, Queen of the Pedal People, boarding a Holyoke bus that began a journey that will end in the island nation of Trinidad, where she will spend her winter doing charity work. Ruthie will be returning to the Valley in March.