Charlie Baker and Deval Patrick: Two very different Massachusetts governors. While it is obvious that Baker and Patrick share different political philosophies, they also have vastly different leadership styles.
Where Baker digs into details; Patrick focused on the big picture. Where Baker is all facts and figures; Patrick emphasized rhetoric. Where Baker is a technocrat, Patrick was an ideologue.
Will the Big Tent have enough room for conservatives in the Massachusetts Republican Party? The answer to that question is wide open at this point.
On Super Tuesday, the GOP rank and file voted for their presidential choice. Nearly half selected the ultimate political outsider, Donald J. Trump. Some voters were surprised to see a down-ballot race for the Republican State Committee, usually a sleepy quadrennial non-contest to fill the 80-person GOP governing board. This year, Governor Charlie Baker and the party establishment unexpectedly poured money and prestige into that election. Endorsing moderate candidates running in 52 contested races, Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and a host of well-heeled contributors sought complete control of the State Committee. Detecting insufficient subservience to the whims of Beacon Hill among independent-minded conservatives, GOP insiders decided that such State Committee members stretched the Big Tent concept too far. "Imagine," chortled the power brokers, "those members actually think we welcome conservatives and pro-lifers into the party."
