GOP governors in Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland among nation’s most popular.

[Deblano]

GOP governors in deep-blue Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland among nation’s most popular: Poll

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/11/charlie-baker-republican-most-popular-governor-us-/

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[Suburbia]

Both Govs. Baker and Hogan will be reelected by 5-15 points despite being blue-state Republican governors. However, Gov. Bruce Rauner may lose the 2018 GE, or he may lose the primary.

[McGovernForPrez]

Governor Baker is not losing in 2018. Honestly Massachusetts' gubernatorial race doesn't matter one lick for Democrats. Baker is so moderate I'd nearly consider him a moderate Democrat. Democrat's control our state legislatures by massive super majority, and all nine of our congressional districts are controlled by Democrats, so it isn't like he can actually affect our redistricting in any way. Only way this seat could become competitive is if Kerry runs and I doubt he will.

[RINO Tom]

Governor Baker is not losing in 2018. Honestly Massachusetts' gubernatorial race doesn't matter one lick for Democrats. Baker is so moderate I'd nearly consider him a moderate Democrat. Democrat's control our state legislatures by massive super majority, and all nine of our congressional districts are controlled by Democrats, so it isn't like he can actually affect our redistricting in any way. Only way this seat could become competitive is if Kerry runs and I doubt he will.

Sentences like this infuriate me, LOL.  There is no objective point where you "become" the other party because you have passed some ideological threshold.  It SAYS SOMETHING about Charlie Baker that he CHOSE to run as a member of the Republican Party no matter what his views are.  There would still be a fundamental difference between a Republican whose views were literally all left-of-center and a Democrat whose views were literally all right-of-center, and the former - at least in some way - would be effectively to the right of the latter, at least in the sense that he/she would believe in a basic enough principle of the GOP that he/she chose to use it as the mechanism to achieve his/her views, and vice versa for the Democrat.  Joe Manchin would have several views to the right of Charlie Baker, but Charlie Baker shares the basic worldview of a Republican - he rejects the tenant of being a Democrat (that society should actively be shaped to help the less fortunate, even at the expense of more fortunate people), and Joe Manchin resoundingly accepts that tenant.

Charlie Baker is a standard New England Republican, which, yes, does place him to the left of most Republicans.  However, it doesn't change the fact that he's a Republican and likely always will be.  He's moderate, of course, but he represents the basic interests and motives of every Republican.

[smoltchanov]

Charlie Baker is a standard New England Republican, which, yes, does place him to the left of most Republicans.  However, it doesn't change the fact that he's a Republican and likely always will be.  He's moderate, of course, but he represents the basic interests and motives of every Republican.

Does that mean that you would prefer Clifford Case or Jacob Javits over James Eastland or Jim Allen? If so - which percentage of present day republican base would do the same in your opinion?

[Maxwell]

liberals like their token moderate Republicans, and Republicans certainly can't complain about being in power *shrugs*

[Associate Justice PiT]

     It helps that governorships tend to invoke less partisan sentiment than federal offices do.

[LabourJersey]

liberals like their token moderate Republicans, and Republicans certainly can't complain about being in power *shrugs*

Agreed- I think liberals (really just the center-left) are way too invested in the ideals of bipartisanship and looking like Serious and Reasonable People, and that needs to change. Meanwhile conservatives see all liberals as spawns of a demon, and that has proven to be quite a good motivator.