After a report that Gov. Charlie Baker is under consideration as one of the Republicans who could be asked to join a Biden administration, Baker said he has no plans to leave Massachusetts.
Politico reported Tuesday morning that Baker is one of a handful of centrist Republicans who have been mentioned by Joe Biden's advisers in discussions about Republicans who might be interested in Cabinet positions, should Biden win the election in two weeks.
Baker has certainly indicated he's no fan of President Donald Trump, but asked about the report Tuesday at a news conference, he said he intends to serve out the remainder of his term, and didn't rule out a bid for a third term, either.
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"You're going to be stuck with me for at least the next two years," Baker said. "Flattered to be considered but I like the job I have."
Past presidential administrations have included members of the opposing party in the Cabinet. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire was one of three Republicans nominated to then-President Barack Obama's Cabinet in 2009, only for Gregg to withdraw his name before he could be confirmed.
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Biden has gotten the endorsements of many centrist Republicans in this election, including Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain, who was the Republican nominee for president in 2008.
Baker did wade in to partisan politics closer to home on Tuesday, endorsing Republican Kevin O'Connor in his unlikely bid to unseat Democrat Ed Markey in the U.S. Senate.
The speculation about Baker crossing party lines comes days after the Biden campaign emailed out the entirety of an NBC10 Boston story recounting how Baker would not support President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, for reelection. That statement -- which came from Baker's office after the governor didn't answer a reporter's question about who he'd back in 2020 -- earned a reply from Trump, who called Baker a "Republican in Name Only."
Nevertheless, Baker hasn't said who he'll vote for in this election. Maryland's Larry Hogan, another Republican governor of a state that usually votes for Democrats, has recently said he wrote in Ronald Reagan's name on his presidential ballot.
