MA: Boston Globe endorses Baker for Governor

[tpfkaw]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/10/26/charlie-baker-for-governor/r4Yymw55jVr20D53EhUIkK/story.html

This is basically a hell-freezes-over moment; the Globe is somewhat to the left of its former owner, the New York Times.

[tpfkaw]

Has the Globe ever endorsed a republican before?

That I know of, they've endorsed both of Suzanne Bump's opponents for Auditor, this year and in 2010, but Bump is quite conservative for a Democrat (the Herald endorsed her this year; another hell-freezes-over moment, the Herald backing the Dem and the Globe the GOPher) and also arguably unqualified (she isn't a CPA). They also endorsed Richard Tisei over John Tierney (who had a major scandal) in 2012, and endorsed Bill Weld both times he ran for governor in 1990 and 1994 (in 1990 the Democrat was an extreme right-winger, in 1994 Weld won over 70% of the vote, carrying a majority of Democrats and the City of Boston, along with nearly every other municipality in the state).

[tpfkaw]

This might explain why the Globe's polling has consistently been more pro-Baker than the consensus.

[tpfkaw]

Lol, far from me to avoid casting aspersions on the Globe, but they don't juice their polling to favor their preferred candidate (they actually were way off overestimating Coakley's vote in the primary and underestimating that of Steve Grossman, whom they endorsed). Also, their pollster is the same one Politico uses. And, I strongly suspect that their decision to endorse Baker was made this week, because their coverage of the race thus far (even up to this very day) has been generally hostile towards Baker, if lukewarm to Coakley. I'd say they're endorsing Baker because of what their tracking poll is saying, not the other way around.

[tpfkaw]

So you think they're endorsing him just to jump on the winning bandwagon? What would be the point of that?

Their reasoning, I suspect, is that Coakley has proven herself to be such a weak candidate that they're worried she'd lose reelection in 2018, potentially to someone quite a bit more conservative than Baker is. So they think it's better to cut their losses and endorse Baker, then (if he's elected) his opponent in 2018. Same reason they endorsed Tisei over Tierney in 2012, pretty much.

Don't underestimate the Democrats' GOTV machine in Massachusetts.

It's true. Suzanne Bump still won the Auditor job in 2010 without the Boston Globe's endorsement.

And Tierney over Tisei in 2012, obviously. But everything I've heard suggests that the MA Dem machine is mostly sitting this one out.