‘I simply misspoke,’ Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says after voicing indecision over Elizabeth Warren’s GOP challenger

Oct. 18--Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he misspoke after initially expressing indecision over whether he'll vote for US Sen. Elizabeth Warren's GOP challenger weeks after endorsing him.

Asked by Jay Gonzalez, the Democrat hoping to oust Baker from the Corner Office, whether he's voting for Republican US Senate candidate Geoff Diehl, the governor said during Wednesday's WGBH-TV debate that he would vote for himself and a "series of other candidates." He added that he didn't know whether he would vote for Diehl, a fellow Republican.

Diehl is challenging Warren, a Cambridge Democrat running for a second six-year term while weighing a 2020 presidential campaign.

"You don't know if you're going to vote for the guy you endorsed?" asked Jim Braude, one of the debate moderators.

"I haven't made a decision," Baker said.

Gonzalez jumped in. "So you're asking people in Massachusetts to vote for Geoff Diehl and you're not even going to vote for him?"

"I said I was going to support the [GOP] ticket and I do," Baker said. He added: "I'll make my decision eventually and I'll make sure people know."

Gonzalez noted that Diehl was President Donald Trump's campaign co-chair in Massachusetts, a state won by Hillary Clinton.

Later in the debate, Gonzalez returned to press Baker on his remarks. "I still can't believe that the governor's asking people in this state to vote for Geoff Diehl and won't say whether he's going to vote for him himself," he said.

Baker, a moderate Republican who blanked the 2016 presidential ballot rather than vote for Clinton or Trump, pointed to where he parts ways with Diehl, supporting abortion rights and gay rights while calling them "fundamental issues."

Minutes after the debate ended, Baker told reporters he misspoke when he said he hadn't decided whether to vote for Diehl despite endorsing him.

"In the midst of all of it, I said I endorsed the ticket, I'm going to vote for him," Baker said. "I'm going to vote for the ticket."

Baker continued: "Look, in the back and forth, I simply misspoke but I'm going to vote for the ticket. And I think it's interesting that my opponent spent so much time talking about the US Senate race and so little time talking about the race for governor, which is the office he's actually seeking."

The general election is Nov. 6. The ballot will feature races for US Senate and governor, local races, and statewide questions on nurse staffing and transgender protections.

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