‘Adios Chuckles’: Massachusetts GOP Backs Trump-Endorsed Election Denier to Replace Most Popular Governor in the Country
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Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA), the most popular governor in the country according to a recent poll, was mocked outside his own party’s nominating convention over the weekend, which he did not attend.
Baker announced in December 2021 that he would not seek a third term as governor despite having a 74 percent approval rating in his state – the highest in the country.
“There was no mention of Baker on Saturday from the stage, though he was the target of veiled shots, with some Republicans slamming his administration’s early COVID-19 policies,” reported the Boston Globe, adding, “Outside the MassMutual Center, a delegate handed out packages of candy with the phrase ‘Adiós Chuckles’ and a caricature of Baker wearing a red clown nose.”
THREAD: Greetings from beautiful Springfield, where the @massgop is gathering for its 2022 convention. Luke Hartwell of Billerica is handing out Chuckles candy with an “Adios Chuckles” sticker showing Charlie Baker in a red clown nose. #mapoli @GBHNews 1/x pic.twitter.com/bJx8bFo2Rr
— Adam Reilly (@reillyadam) May 21, 2022
Baker’s decision not to run again came as he was “facing a tough primary challenge from a conservative endorsed by former President Donald Trump,” reported NPR at the time.
That conservative, Geoff Diehl, received the backing of the convention on Saturday, winning 71 percent of the 1,194 votes from party delegates. Diehl is a prominent supporter of Trump’s debunked allegations that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and has suggested as governor he would send Massachusetts National Guard troops to help secure the southern border.
Baker’s Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito (R-MA) also skipped her party’s nominating convention, further illustrating the party’s rightward shift in the past four years.
The Globe reported that at the convention “speakers leaned heavily into national themes and culture war debates, railing against abortion, characterizing Democrats as “evil,” and issuing vague yet vulgar warnings about the state of education.”
“Our party is very discontent[ed] with Baker, so we’re not too sad to see him go,” Luke Hartwell of Billerica told GBH 87.9, Boston’s local NPR affiliate.
When pressed on Diehl’s electability in a blue state like Massachusetts, Hartwell responded, “I would rather have our party stand for what we believe and lose, rather than be fake.”
Diehl will be joined by Chris Doughty and Shiva Ayyadurai in the September 6th GOP primary for governor.
