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Amid the Massachusetts snowflakes, there's a very exciting rumor circulating this holiday season: that former Gov. Charlie Baker could also be eyeing a political comeback within the near future.
Theoretically, there may be a emptiness in 2026, when Senator Ed Markey runs for re-election. Markey could be 80 years old on Election Day and would run for an additional six-year term. He confirmed his plans to run again in October.
Baker, the perennially popular two-term moderate Republican, declined to run for governor again in 2022. He now works as president of the NCAA.
Baker's possible comeback was a subject of debate on WCVB's “In the file” last week. “It certainly looks like it,” Democratic analyst Mary Anne Marsh said when asked about the possibility.
Marsh cited the recent campaign by John Deaton, a cryptocurrency advocate and personal injury attorney who unsuccessfully tried to unseat Sen. Elizabeth Warren this year. Deaton positioned himself as a Republican in the vein of Baker and broke with the MAGA wing of the party on issues such as reproductive rights.
Deaton said he was motivated to run in the first place after seeing a poll that showed Baker's strength in a theoretical matchup against Warren. He worked with some of the same political strategists as Baker and even toyed with writing in Baker's name on his own presidential ballot.
“The Baker campaign was the Deaton campaign,” Marsh said simply on WCVB.
In October, Baker himself started the rumor mill. When asked about the possibility of returning to politics, he said he would “never rule anything out.” “I think we're living in really challenging times and that's important [for] “Really good people stepping up,” he added.
But the NCAA acted quickly and put an end to any talk. Reports linking Baker to a Senate run are “untrue,” said Tim Buckley, the NCAA’s senior VP of external affairs said ESPN reporter Pete Thamel. “He is clearly not running for political office and is focused solely on the future of college sports,” Buckley reportedly said.
A run against Markey wouldn't be a sure thing. He was recently found This makes him the 10th most popular senator in the country, up from 13th place at the beginning of the year.
But after years of presidential politics dominated by 82-year-old Joe Biden and 78-year-old Donald Trump, voters may be ready to turn against older politicians. After Markey announced his decision to run again, Boston.com asked readers whether they would support an age limit for U.S. senators. Of the 341 respondents, 318 said they would support age limits. A current one UMass Amherst/WCVB poll found that 72% of Massachusetts residents support an age limit for U.S. senators. People on both sides of the political spectrum generally support an average age limit of 66, the pollsters said.
Baker is 68 years old. During his term as governor, he was considered the most popular governor in the country on several occasions. Before leaving office, he had an approval rating of 74%. By comparison, Governor Maura Healey was the 14th most popular governor in the country last summer, with an approval rating of 59%.
Earlier this month, Baker made headlines when he pushed for more federal regulations on sports betting. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Baker said this was the case as against “prop bets” in college sports.
image credit : www.boston.com