By Stacie N. Galang
Staff Writer
July 09, 2009 06:00 am SWAMPSCOTT — Charles D. Baker entered the growing field of gubernatorial candidates yesterday, announcing he would step down as president and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to seek the Republican nomination. Baker, 52, a Swampscott resident, has spent the past 10 years heading the Wellesley-based nonprofit after stints in the administrations of Govs. Paul Cellucci and William Weld. "Leaving the company is not an easy decision for me, but there is no middle ground," he said in a press release. "I am either the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim, or I'm building a campaign organization. I cannot do both." Baker faces incumbent Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick and Republican candidate Christy Mihos. Mihos was on the North Shore yesterday trying to make inroads with North Shore Republicans. He stopped off at New Brothers Deli in Danvers for supper and later spoke to the Swampscott Republican Town Committee. State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who parted ways with the Democrats this week, has also shown interest in the race. He is expected to announce his plans after Labor Day. Baker told reporters at a news conference yesterday afternoon that he would regret — for quite a while — if he "chose to sit idly by and not participate." "I believe my ideas and experience, having served at the state level, having served in the private sector and having served at the local level, are very well-suited for the task," he said. He agreed to being labeled a "liberal Weld Republican," fiscally conservative but liberal on such social issues as gay and abortion rights. He said he would focus on job creation as governor, saying the state is losing too many adults 18 to 45 years old. "It's a pretty dark picture, and I don't think we're doing the things we need to do to make that picture better," he said. Baker said the Republican Party provides a vital check and balance on the state political establishment. Though his name has been bandied about for governor, until yesterday, his candidacy was little more than draftcharlie.com, a simple Web site with a short biography and call for supporters. Four years ago, Baker, then a Swampscott selectman, decided against a run for governor. He expressed concern the campaign would be too big a sacrifice for his family. Yesterday, the father of three stepped squarely into the race. At Harvard Pilgrim, Baker oversaw a $2.81 billion budget in 2007, according to nonprofit tax filings from 2007, the most recent year available. He earned nearly $1.4 million in pay and benefits in 2007, the tax filings said. Michael Goldman, Democratic consultant and well-known supporter of the governor, said Baker's entry in the race was "not unexpected." But the newest candidate won't find the process easy. "I think he's going to find that a run against Christy Mihos and (campaign manager) Dick Morris is not the most pleasing experience that one could have," the Marbleheader said. "I think it's going to be a very rough primary." And Baker won't be able to bring the outsider message that Gov. Mitt Romney used in his bid for office. "I happen to think Charlie Baker is very nice," Goldman said. "I think he's a good candidate, but it's not going to be an easy fight." It's anyone's guess how the next 16 months leading up to the general election will turn out, he said. The political landscape has been transformed in just two weeks. "Already, everything is turned on its head," Goldman said. Welcomed with open arms Word of Baker's candidacy met with optimism on the North Shore yesterday. Swampscott Selectman Jill Sullivan welcomed her fellow townsman into the race. "I'm thrilled," she said. "You always want the best and brightest minds and people to get into public service." Baker's experience in both the public and private sectors would be a boon for his candidacy, she said. "It's wonderful," Sullivan said of a Swampscott candidate. "It's a very small town." House Minority Leader Bradley Jones Jr., R-North Reading, joined the chorus. "I am excited to have such a strong Republican candidate running for governor in a time where the commonwealth needs real leadership," he said in a press release. Jones said Baker's "real chief executive experience" will help him lead the state out of its financial crisis. Citizens for Limited Taxation's Barbara Anderson also put her trust in Baker. "I think if anybody can save Massachusetts, it's Charlie Baker," she said. Anderson met Baker in 1981, just after he graduated from Harvard and became a spokesman for the Massachusetts High Technology Council, a backer of the controversial Proposition 21âÑ2. She said he has all the attributes to be a great governor. "Charlie just had a natural talent about him," Anderson said. She also said Baker has keen insight into the biggest issue of the day — health care — and a wide range of experience. "I personally was thinking of him as president of the United States, but you have to start somewhere," Anderson said. But any governor will face the challenges of an unwilling Legislature. "Unless the voters do something about the Legislature, it doesn't matter who the governor is," she said. "(Lawmakers) do as they darn well please." Material from The Associated Press was used in this story.
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