Report: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will endorse Chris Christie
Charlie Baker doesn’t usually get into national politics. But he’s making an exception for a friend.
The Massachusetts governor will endorse New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the Republican presidential nomination at a rally Saturday in New Hampshire, The Boston Globereported Thursday evening.
Christie’s campaign confirmed the endorsement to Politico.
One unnamed Baker adviser told the Globe the governor is both “fond of Christie’’ and is wary of the rise of more conservative Republicans. Baker would willing to make TV appearances to explain his endorsement, according to the source.
Baker has largely refrained from entering the fray of presidential politics, though he did recently denounce Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim immigration to the United States.
[fragment number=0]
Baker joins Maine Gov. Paul LePage as the second New England governor to endorse Christie, who has also picked up the backing of the Boston Herald and the New Hampshire Union Leader. According to RealClearPolitics’ average of recent polls, Christie is sixth in New Hampshire with 5.3 percent of the vote.
The endorsement comes after years of support for Baker from his fellow governor. While Christie was head of the Republican Governors Association, the organization invested more than $11 million on behalf of Baker’s successful 2014 gubernatorial campaign. Christie also attended Baker’s inauguration in 2015.
The two governors also reportedly both attended Bruce Springsteen’s show Thursday night at the TD Garden, but weren’t there together.
Chris Christie attends the Bruce Springsteen concert Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com