Gov. Charlie Baker. (Photo courtesy Sen. Ed Markey)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM/AP) -- Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced that he and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito will seek a second term.
"The Lieutenant Governor and I had said for quite a while that we would make a decision some time this fall about whether or not to seek reelection, and we've made that decision, we are going to seek reelection," Gov. Baker said at an event in Worcester Tuesday morning.
This follows a confirmation earlier in the day from Jim Conroy, who managed Baker's 2014 campaign. It was widely assumed on Beacon Hill that Baker would run for re-election.
The big campaign announcement isn't expected until the first of the year, but at an event at Table Top Pies' new expanded factory, Gov. Baker touted his administration's successes.
"We've built strong communities across Massachusetts, but there's a ton more left to do," he said. "I think we believe that the fiscally-disciplined, performance-oriented, and community-based approach that we bring to governing is what we need here in Massachusetts."
He said that he and Lt. Gov. Polito would focus on building jobs and the economy, as well as fighting the opioid epidemic.
Baker also said the work his administration did in dealing with an inherited budget deficit needed to continue.
"I also think it's important for us to stay the course on maintaining that fiscal discipline, and I worry a lot about what would happen if we weren't sitting in the Governor's and Lt. Governor's seats on that," he said.
He also touted progress made in the field of public transportation.
"I think we're finally to the point where the T is going to start to turn the corner and make the kinds of investments in its core system that are going to improve its reliability, dependability, and capacity to serve the public, but we have much work to do there," he said.
The governor has maintained a brisk fundraising pace. His campaign account reported a mid-November balance of just under $7 million.
That gives the moderate Republican a huge early advantage over the announced Democratic candidates for governor, including Newton Mayor Setti Warren; former state Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez; and environmental activist Robert Massie.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports