Keller @ Large: Why Charlie Baker Is So Popular
BOSTON (CBS) - Governor Charlie Baker has been named the most popular governor in the country in a new poll.
I asked him about this Tuesday, noting that I had never recalled seeing a 71-percent approval rating for a statewide politician.
Could he explain why 7 out of 10 Massachusetts voters like him so much?
"My wife would call that a C," Baker responded.
Is that answer classic Charlie Baker or what?
The governor's latest polling peak comes after a string of strong approval ratings that began after he dealt with the snow-pocalype of 2015, and that detail gives you some insight into why this relatively bland, wonky Republican has become - for now at least - the toast of this strongly-Democratic state.
Baker's predecessor, Deval Patrick, was a fine fellow and charismatic campaigner who struggled with the details of the job and wound up with significantly worse relations with the Legislature's Democratic leaders than Baker now enjoys.
And let's never forget the role that luck plays in a politician's fortunes.
Patrick was less than halfway through his first term when the economy tanked. Baker has been helped by an ongoing economic recovery.
And Baker benefits from another comparison.
Even as we endure the non-stop political drama and intense partisan loathing of the Trump era in Washington, there is an unusual level of partisan comity on Beacon Hill, and the calm is nurtured by Baker's apparently low pulse rate.
"Somebody said to me one day that you guys are kind of the no-drama administration, and I appreciate that," Baker said.
I asked him if it helps to be boring?
"Maybe," Baker said.
Did the governor chafe at being called "boring?"
Maybe.
But it seems there's political benefit to be had in never letting them see you sweat.
Share your thoughts with me via email at keller@wbztv.com, or you can reach out on Twitter, @kelleratlarge.