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Trump-Supporting Pastor Qualifies to Challenge Massachusetts Gov. Baker

A conservative challenger to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has qualified for the September primary election.

A conservative challenger to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has qualified for the September primary election.

 

Scott Lively, a Springfield pastor who strongly supports President Trump, received nearly 28 percent of the vote of the nearly 2,400 delegates to the Republican state convention in Worcester, well over the 15 percent needed to advance to the primary.

 

Baker, a moderate, won the endorsement of the convention but with just under 70 percent of the vote.

 

Party officials were hoping to avoid sharp divisions at the convention between delegates loyal to Trump. Baker is seeking a second term and has been popular with independents and even many Democrats. 

Natalie Delgadillo is an editor and writer living in Washington, D.C. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Bloomberg's CityLab, and The Atlantic. She was previously the managing editor of DCist.