Outrageous, disgraceful and a divider

GOP governor describes Trump in 3 words: ‘Outrageous, disgraceful and a divider’

By STEPHANIE MURRAY

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker referred to President Donald Trump as “outrageous, disgraceful and a divider” during a debate Thursday night.

The harsh words were among the few areas of agreement between Republican Baker and his Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez in their final gubernatorial debate. The comments came during a lightning round of questions, where moderators asked Baker and Gonzalez to describe Trump in three words.

"Only three," Baker said. "Outrageous, disgraceful and a divider."

Gonzalez has spent the election season trying to tie Baker to Trump by way of the other Republicans on the Massachusetts ticket, who align more closely with the president. It's the only shot Democrats have against the blue-state Republican, who is ranked as the most popular governor in the country with sky-high approval ratings.

Asked whether the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox should go to the White House to celebrate their victory, Baker didn't answer directly.

"I think that's completely up to the team. My guess is they get asked, people will make whatever decision they think is best for them, and I think that's OK," Baker said.

The first-term governor has kept his distance from the commander in chief, and has frequently pushed back on Trump's agenda on issues such as the Affordable Care Act, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and family separations. He left the presidential ballot blank rather than vote for Trump in 2016, and said he won't vote for him if he runs for reelection in 2020.

Baker’s approach reflects his state‘s low regard for the president — Massachusetts disapproves of Trump more than any other state in the country. Bay State voters gave Trump a 62 percent disapproval rating in September, according to Morning Consult. A close second in Trump disapproval ratings is neighboring Vermont, another blue state with a popular Republican governor.

Baker's ability to keep Trump at arm's length has enabled him to build a wide margin in his reelection campaign. He leads Gonzalez 68-25, according to a recent poll, and a plurality (48 percent) of Democrats say they will vote for Baker. Gonzalez has support from just 45 percent of Democrats.

Baker penned an op-ed in The Boston Globe this week decrying "dark days for public discourse," and blamed the breakdown on "the example set by President Trump."

The GOP governor waffled last month in a debate when Gonzalez asked him whether he'd vote for former Trump campaign co-chair Geoff Diehl, who is running against Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Baker said he hadn't decided who he was voting for in the Senate race, and quickly course-corrected after the debate, saying he misspoke and will vote for Diehl.

The political impetus behind Baker’s initial reluctance to fully support Diehl is clear — about a third of likely voters in Massachusetts will cast ballots for both the Republican Baker and Democrat Warren, a top leader of the anti-Trump resistance, according to a WBUR report.