麻州州長週一 (11月29日)時上GBH廣播節目時說，他很快就會做決定，今天週三 (12月1日)就爆出查理貝克不參選下任州長的消息，然後這消息也被證實了。正參選麻州稽核長
(Audit) 的Chris Dempsey 也在今日發給支持者的電郵中說，查理貝克決定不選連任了。
現在是2021年12月1日，距離2022年的州級選舉，其實還有大約一年。但近年有意角逐職位者，佈署行動都越來越早。麻州州長一職就早從今年初就有人宣佈參選，迄今已累計至少6人參選，其中知名度較高的有麻州參議員陳翟蘇妮 (Sonia Chang Diaz)，哈佛教授
Danielle Allen，曾任麻州參議員的Ben Downing，以及共和黨籍曾任麻州眾議員的Geogg Diehl。
不過最有實力，民調支持度最高的麻州現任州長查理貝克，還有一直被人認為是麻州州長未來人選的民主黨籍麻州總檢察長奚莉 (Maura
Healey)，在到底是否參選下屆州長這問題上，卻一直不肯鬆口。
英文報章一直不斷猜測，前天波士頓環球報還有一篇文章談論這事，認為查理貝克應該以獨立無黨派身分參選第三任。
今天，消息卻爆了出來，民調支持度迄今仍然有70%，保持著歷來最高紀錄的州長查理貝克透露，後來也證實，2022年他不競選第三度連任，放棄了打破麻州州長從未在位超過2任這歷史紀錄的機會。
其實幾乎所有人都認為，只要查理貝克決定參選，一定可以輕鬆連任。雖然並不是完全沒人批評他，包括幾名參選人都說麻州族裔不平等，貧富差距大，也有人批評他缺乏遠見，改善得很慢，沒有充分利用麻州豐富的資源，但大部分的人都稱讚能夠因應地方需求，願意和民主黨妥協，把麻州經濟帶到高點，新冠病毒大流行發生前，麻州的失業率僅只3%。今年五月，美國總統拜登(Joe Biden)也稱讚查理貝克做得好。
查理貝克的不參選連任決定，對明年的州長選舉，勢必產生重大影響。在位期間一直非常活躍，能見度打破麻州副州長紀錄的共和黨籍白莉朵Karyn Polito，也表示不競選連任。(更新版)
 |
| From Twitter |
Our plan
Governor Baker
and Lt. Governor Polito
After several months of discussion with our families, we
have decided not to seek re-election in 2022. This was an extremely difficult
decision for us. We love the work, and we especially respect and admire the
people of this wonderful Commonwealth. Serving as Governor and Lieutenant
Governor of Massachusetts has been the most challenging and fulfilling jobs
we’ve ever had. We will forever be grateful to the people of this state for
giving us this great honor.
We have all been going through an extraordinarily
difficult pandemic, and the next year will be just as important, if not more
important, than the past year. We have a great deal of work to do to put the
pandemic behind us, keep our kids in school, and keep our communities and
economy moving forward. That work cannot and should not be about politics and
the next election. If we were to run, it would be a distraction that would
potentially get in the way of many of the things we should be working on for
everyone in Massachusetts. We want to focus on recovery, not on the grudge
matches political campaigns can devolve into.
Coming out of this pandemic, we are acutely aware, more
than ever before, about how little we can take for granted when it comes to our
family, our friends, or our time on this planet. Done right, these jobs require
an extraordinary amount of time and attention, and we love doing them. But we
both want to be there with Lauren and Steve and our children for the moments,
big and small, that our families will experience going forward.
When the voters of this great Commonwealth gave us this
opportunity to serve, we had plans. Lots of them. They didn’t include 30 days
of snow in our first 60 days in office. Or a natural gas explosion. Or a global
pandemic. But with your support, and the creativity and resilience of the
people of Massachusetts, we worked through these and other unanticipated crises
and events to move our state forward.
We are determined to continue to put aside the partisan
playbook that dominates so much of our political landscape — to form governing
partnerships with our colleagues in local government, the Legislature, and the
Congressional delegation. That bipartisan approach, where we listen as much as
we talk, where we focus our energies on finding areas of agreement and not
disagreement, and where we avoid the public sniping and grandstanding that
defines much of our political discourse, allows us to make meaningful progress
on many important issues.
We’ve led the nation in battling the opioid crisis, with
more to do and the resources to do it. Our energy future — the nation’s energy
future — is cleaner and more cost effective because of our work on deep water
offshore wind. We brought broadband to our friends and neighbors in Western
Massachusetts. We’ve made historic investments in housing of all kinds, enacted
a landmark law to battle our housing crisis, and anticipate using significant
federal funding to level the housing playing field going forward. We secured landmark
criminal justice and law enforcement reforms and successfully dealt with the
decades-long stain at Bridgewater State Hospital. We have dramatically
increased funding for our schools. And we cut the income tax to 5 percent and
dramatically increased our Rainy Day Fund by managing the state’s fiscal
affairs with discipline and care.
But today is about the future. This next year needs to
be about recovery, not about politics. We are grateful for the chance we have
been given to serve the people of this great state and will give it our all
between now and the end of 2022.
Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito
我們的計劃
州長查理貝克和副州長白莉朵
致我們的朋友和同事——
和家人討論幾個月之後，我們決定2022年不再尋求連任。這對我們來說是一個極其艱難的決定。我們熱愛這工作，我們尤其尊重和欽佩這個美好州府的人民。擔任麻州州長和副州長是我們曾經歷的最具挑戰性和最充實的工作。我們將永遠感謝這個州的人民給我們這個巨大的榮譽。
我們都經歷了一場異常艱難的病毒大流行，明年將與去年一樣重要，甚至更重要。我們有大量工作要做，以消滅大流行病，讓我們的孩子繼續上學，我們的社區和經濟向前發展。這工作不能也不應該與政治和下一次選舉有關。如果我們參選，就會分心，可能會妨礙我們為麻州每個人所做的許多事情。我們希望專注於復蘇，而不是政治活動可能會衍伸出來的恩怨情仇。
從這場大流行中走出來，我們比以往任何時候都更加敏銳地意識到，當涉及到我們的家人、朋友或我們在這個星球上的時間時，有太少事情我們是可以視作理所當然的。如果做得好，這些工作需要大量的時間和注意力，我們喜歡做這些工作。但我們都想和勞倫、史蒂夫，以及我們的孩子，一起經歷我們家將來的大大小小時刻。
當這個偉大州的選民給我們這個服務機會時，我們是有計劃的。很多計畫。但那並不包括上任頭60天，就遇上下雪30天，或者是天然瓦斯爆炸，或者是全球性的病毒大流行，但是在您們的支持以及麻州人民的創造力和韌性下，我們克服了這些和其他意料之外的危機和事件，推動了我們的州向前發展。
我們決心繼續把主導我們政治格局的黨派劇本放到一旁——與我們在地方政府、立法機關和國會代表團中的同事建立治理夥伴關係。這種兩黨合作的方法，即我們多聽多說，將精力集中在尋找共識而非分歧，避免定義大部分政治話語的公開攻擊和譁眾取寵，讓我們能夠在許多重要問題上取得有意義進展。
我們已帶領全國對抗鴉片類藥物危機，還有更多工作要做，也有資源去做。我們的能源未來 -國家的能源未來 – 因為我們努力發展深水離岸風力，是更清潔，更有效率的。我們為麻州西部的朋友和鄰居帶來了寬頻。我們在各種住房上做了歷史性投資，制定了一項具有里程碑意義的法律來對抗我們的住房危機，並預計使用大量的聯邦資金來調平未來的房屋市場。我們完成了具有里程碑意義的刑事司法和執法改革，並成功處理了橋水(Bridgewater)州立醫院長達數十年的污點。我們大幅增加了對學校的資助。我們將所得稅降低到 5%，並通過紀律和謹慎地管理本州財政事務，大幅增加了我們的儲備基金。
但今天是關於未來的。明年需要關注復甦，而不是政治。我們感謝有機會為這個偉大州的人民服務，並將在現在到 2022 年底之間全力以赴。
查理·貝克和白莉朵
