September 26, 2014/Press Releases

Republican Charlie Baker’s Bad Week Gets Attention

For Immediate Release
September 26, 2014

Contact: Pat Beaudry
Phone: 617.939.0800

Local, National Media Draw Attention to Republican Baker’s Latest Controversial Statement on Women’s Issues
BOSTON—Republican Charlie Baker must be looking forward to the weekend.

Following the latest in Republican Charlie Baker’s pattern of controversial statements regarding women’s issues, the Massachusetts Democratic Party today compiles an ICYMI sample of some of the headlines Republican Baker is hoping voters will forget.

“First Republican Charlie Baker said Hobby Lobby ‘doesn’t matter’, then he needed to see ‘more data’ before calling for Roger Goodell to step down and now he calls a well-respected female journalist ‘sweetheart,’” said Matt Fenlon, Massachusetts Democratic Party Executive Director. “For someone who wants to be governor, this is a troubling pattern that forces women to ask the question: is this the type of leadership we want for the next four years?”

Good Week, Bad Week (Boston Globe, Capital Section: 9/25)
BAD WEEK: Charlie Baker
Yes, Charlie Baker called a reporter “sweetheart” and then apologized for it — forcing his campaign at least temporarily off-course. But that wasn’t the only bad part of his week.

The Silber lining of Baker’s “sweet” gaffe (Jack Sullivan, Commonwealth Magazine: 9/25)
But it’s fair to say Baker’s paternalistic reply to a question from WFXT’s political reporter Sharman Sacchetti raises legitimate comparisons to John Silber‘s angry rant aimed at Natalie Jacobsen in 1990, when the then-doyenne of Boston television news did an at-home sit-down with the perpetually irritable Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

Welfare and Charlie Baker’s Problem with Women of Color (Erin O’Brien, Mass Politics Profs: 9/26)
So for a guy looking to close the gender gap largely driving his double-digit deficit in the polls, Charlie Baker really put his foot in it. 

Memo to Candidates Courting Women: Stop Trying So Hard! (Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: 9/25)
Over the summer, Baker stupidly said the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, which restricts insurance coverage for contraception, “doesn’t matter” to Massachusetts women. Then he retracted it. The other day he called a Fox TV reporter “sweetheart.” He was joking, but no one was laughing. He had to apologize.

Charlie Baker Needs an Intervention on Women (Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe: 9/26)
The softball queries from family, friends, and running mate Karyn Polito were silly and insulting to female voters he is targeting — and so were the candidate’s answers.

Does Charlie Baker Have a Problem When it Comes to Women’s Issues? (Fox 25: 9/23)
When our political reporter Sharman Sacchetti mentioned that Democrats believe that could mean the start of negative ads and tried to ask him a question, Baker said, “Okay this is going to be the last one, sweetheart.”

Charlie Baker’s Sweetheart Problem (Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe: 9/24)
The problem is, this wasn’t a one-off. Back in March, my colleague Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, then at the Boston Herald, was interviewing you when, wrapping up the call, you said, “I have to go now, OK, sweetheart?”

‘Sweetheart?’ C’Mon Charlie (Jessica Heslam, Boston Herald: 9/24)
Charlie Baker just can’t get it right when it comes to women.

Charlie Baker’s Sweetheart Apology Turns Sour (David Bernstein, Boston Magazine: 9/25)
When Baker gets pushed past his comfort level, he becomes condescending. And that’s what he did to Sacchetti.

Charlie Baker Under Fire for Sweetheart Comment (Fox 25: 9/24)

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Calls Female Reporter ‘Sweetheart,’ Interrupts Her (Laura Bassett, Huffington Post: 9/24)

Was Charlie Baker Out of Line When He Called Reporter Sweetheart? (Boston Herald Video: 9/24)

Massachusetts GOP Candidate Dismisses Reporter’s Questions, Calls Her “Sweetheart” (Andrew Kaczynski, Buzzfeed: 9/24)