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Charlie Baker on Government Reform
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Automatic voter registration via RMV and MassHealth
Hundreds of thousands of new voters could join the state's rolls in the coming years after Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation that adopts automatic voter registration. The voting measure registers eligible residents when they get their driver's
licenses or health insurance through the state.The automatic voter registration law makes Massachusetts the 14th state to adopt such a measure. Under the new law, eligible residents who interact with the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the MassHealth
program will have to opt out if they don't want to join the voter rolls, rather than opt in.
The law also allows the secretary of state to reach agreements with state agencies to automatically register voters if they meet certain criteria, potentially
further expanding the net the state can cast to reach eligible residents.
Baker previously said he had confidence that the state could install automatic voter registration with a "fairly high degree of integrity" at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Source: Boston Globe on 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial race
, Aug 9, 2018
Declined to sign "People's Pledge" against outside PAC ads
Both made efforts to fire up their bases with red meat comments on wedge issues like illegal immigration and campaign finance reform. Coakley scolded Baker for not signing a campaign gimmick that blocks third party spending in campaigns
known as the "People's Pledge" while pressing him on supporting a constitutional amendment that would reform campaign finance laws. Baker responded by saying that he'd like to see reforms, but the constitutional amendment process is far too slow.
Source: Springfield Republican on 2014 Massachusetts Governor race
, Oct 29, 2014
More campaign finance disclosure but remove union exemptions
Baker generally backs a pending campaign finance reform bill to enhance Super PAC donor disclosure and boost donation limits to candidates but faults its failure to end an existing carve-out that permits higher donations by unions. Republican Charlie
Baker said he was generally supportive of the measure, but criticized what he called a special exemption for Democratic-leaning labor unions. The bill would require super political action committees to report their donors within seven days of their
expenditures. As primary and general election votes approach, those windows would close to every 24 hours.Of all the candidates for governor, Baker was most critical of the bill. Baker targeted a "carveout"
in the legislation for organizations, such as labor unions, that would leave untouched state campaign finance rules that permit them to give candidates up to $15,000.(Boston Globe, 7/1/2014)
Source: Mass IEPAC: Research Profile on Charlie Baker, p.250
, Sep 1, 2014
Supports open meeting law: make legislative debate public
Candidates for governor said they will push for more transparency on Beacon Hill, but only one called for lawmakers to adopt some form of the Open Meeting Law. Baker said: "I certainly think the process needs improvement. This is probably the single
biggest and most important legislation that moves through the session. We ought to come up with a legislative calendar that doesn't make the Legislature think it has to eliminate a lot of the debate that should be public.'" (Boston Herald, 5/8/2014)
Source: Mass IEPAC: Research Profile on Charlie Baker, p.170
, Sep 1, 2014
$500 donor limit is crazy; it's suppression of free speech
At a Republican forum in Braintree in early April, Baker critiqued rules such as the inability to launch an exploratory committee and donation limits as strictures that benefit incumbents. "We have a $500 limit.
Five hundred dollars, you know, in this day and age, I'm sorry, is crazy," Baker said. "I mean the federal limit is $2,500 in the primary; $2,500 in the general.
A number of other states, people have gone to court to say that this is a suppression of free speech. They've won.
I think Massachusetts probably ought to move. What do you think about having a ballot question that deals with some of these silly incumbent protection rules?"
Source: State House News Service on 2014 Massachusetts Governor race
, Dec 3, 2013
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Other governors on Government Reform: |
Charlie Baker on other issues: |
MA Gubernatorial: Bill Weld Bob Massie Dan Wolf Danielle Allen Deval Patrick Don Berwick Jay Gonzalez Jesse Gordon Karyn Polito Lawrence Lessig Martha Coakley Marty Walsh Richard Tisei Seth Moulton Setti Warren Steve Grossman Tom Menino Warren Tolman MA Senatorial: Beth Lindstrom Ed Markey Elizabeth Warren Geoff Diehl Heidi Wellman Joe Kennedy III John Kingston Kevin O`Connor Shannon Liss-Riordan Shiva Ayyadurai
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Gubernatorial Debates 2021:
NJ:
Incumbent Phil Murphy(D)
vs.State Rep. Jack Ciattarelli(R)
vs.Candidate Hirsh Singh(R)
VA:
Incumbent Ralph Northam(D,term-limited)
vs.A.G. Mark Herring(D)
vs.State Sen. Amanda Chase(R)
vs.Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax(D)
vs.State Rep. Jennifer Carroll Foy(D)
vs.State Rep. Lee Carter(D)
vs.Former Governor Terry McAuliffe(D)
vs.State Sen. Jennifer McClellan(D)
vs.State Rep. Kirk Cox(R)
Gubernatorial Debates 2022:
AK:
Incumbent Mike Dunleavy(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
AL:
Incumbent Kay Ivey(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
AR:
Incumbent Asa Hutchinson(R,term-limited)
vs.Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin(R)
vs.Trump Adviser Sarah Huckabee Sanders(R)
vs.A.G. Leslie Rutledge(R)
AZ:
Incumbent Doug Ducey(R,term-limited)
(no prospective opponents yet)
CA:
Incumbent Gavin Newsom(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
CO:
Incumbent Jared Polis(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
CT:
Incumbent Ned Lamont(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
FL:
Incumbent Ron DeSantis(R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Val Demings(? D)
vs.Former Gov.Charlie Crist(? D)
GA:
Incumbent Brian Kemp(R)
vs.Minority Leader Stacey Abrams(D)
vs.Senate candidate Shane Hazel(L)
HI:
Incumbent David Ige(D,term-limited)
vs.State Rep. Andria Tupola(R)
IA:
Incumbent Kim Reynolds(R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Cindy Axne(? R)
ID:
Incumbent Brad Little(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
IL:
Incumbent J. B. Pritzker(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
KS:
Incumbent Laura Kelly(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
MA:
Incumbent Charlie Baker(R)
vs.Harvard Professor Danielle Allen(D)
MD:
Incumbent Larry Hogan(R,term-limited)
vs.State Rep. Robin Ficker(R)
vs.State Rep. Peter Franchot(D)
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Gubernatorial Debates 2022 (continued):
ME:
Incumbent Janet Mills(D)
vs.Former Gov. Paul LePage(R)
MI:
Incumbent Gretchen Whitmer(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
MN:
Incumbent Tim Walz(DFL)
(no prospective opponents yet)
NE:
Incumbent Pete Ricketts(R,term-limited)
vs.U.S.Senator Bob Krist(R)
NH:
Incumbent Chris Sununu(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
NM:
Incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
NV:
Incumbent Steve Sisolak(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
NY:
Incumbent Andrew Cuomo(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
OH:
Incumbent Mike DeWine(R)
vs.Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley(? D)
OK:
Incumbent Kevin Stitt(R)
vs.State Sen. Ervin Yen(R)
OR:
Incumbent Kate Brown(D,term-limited)
vs.Gov. nominee Bud Pierce(R)
PA:
Incumbent Tom Wolf(D,term-limited)
(no prospective opponents yet)
RI:
Incumbent Gina Raimondo(D,term-limited)
(no prospective opponents yet)
SC:
Incumbent Henry McMaster(R)
vs.State Rep. James Emerson Smith(? D)
SD:
Incumbent Kristi Noem(R)
vs.State Rep. Billie Sutton(? D)
TN:
Incumbent Bill Lee(R)
vs.Senate nominee Marquita Bradshaw(? D)
TX:
Incumbent Greg Abbott(R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Allen West(? R)
VT:
Incumbent Phil Scott(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
WI:
Incumbent Tony Evers(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
WY:
Incumbent Mark Gordon(R)
vs.Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss(D)
Gubernatorial Debates 2023:
KY:
Incumbent Andy Beshear(D)
vs.Former Gov. Matt Bevin(? R)
Senator Rand Paul(? R)
LA:
Incumbent John Bel Edwards(D,term-limited)
vs.Biden Adviser Cedric Richmond(? D)
vs.Senator John Neely Kennedy(? R)
MS:
Incumbent Tate Reeves(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
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Page last updated: Feb 10, 2021