Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Friday announced his endorsement for GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie, saying in an announcement that the United States needs "a strong and tested executive to lead our country, especially one who has been so effective leading a blue state with conservative reforms."
Further, Baker told
The Boston Globe that he decided to endorse the New Jersey governor because of his distress over the "slide" of the Republican Party.
Baker would not tell the newspaper if he'd support another Republican candidate should Christie's bid for the party nomination fail, but he is most concerned about Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as the front-runners in the campaign.
"Coming out of Iowa, my conclusion is that one really needs to be able to get along and work with people on both sides of the aisle and have a proven record of doing that, and I don't see that in the front-runners," Baker commented.
He and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito plan to attend a rally with Christie on Saturday in Bedford before returning to Massachusetts, an adviser commented, and plans to make TV appearances to support Christie.
Baker's own 2014 gubernatorial campaign got more than $11 million through the Republican Governors Association, which Christie chaired, but he insisted that did not lead to his decision.
"I've been talking to Chris Christie, to Governor Christie, about politics and state government for a long time. That was, for me, along with some of the results coming out of Iowa, the driving factor," he said.
Baker held out from an endorsement for some time, but has been critical particularly of Trump.
"I don't believe Mr. Trump has the depth of experience, the temperament or the seriousness of purpose to be our next president," he said Friday.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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