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Former Democratic AG Reilly endorses Baker for governor

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane October 14, 2010 02:12 PM

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By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker was endorsed today by a prominent Democrat, former attorney general Thomas Reilly, who once sought the corner office himself.

Reilly lauded Baker's work as a health care executive who turned around the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care insurance company.

“Charlie Baker took Harvard Pilgrim from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it around to the best health insurance company in the country,” Reilly said in a statement. “Massachusetts faces similar difficulties right now and that’s why Charlie Baker is the right person to put the Commonwealth on the right path.”

Reilly joined current and former employees of the health insurance company to support Baker, the campaign said.

The Patrick campaign issued a statement saying that Reilly's support for Baker underlined the help Baker had received from the state in turning a financially struggling Harvard Pilgrim around.

"Today’s press conference sheds light on the relationship between Baker and the state government that helped Harvard Pilgrim. After the state prevented his company’s demise, Baker turned around and fired 1,200 workers, left 128,000 without insurance in Rhode Island, and raised rates over 150% on Massachusetts consumers, increasing costs for working families and small businesses," said Patrick campaign manager Sydney Asbury.

Baker is in a close race with Democratic incumbent Governor Deval Patrick. Independent candidate Timothy Cahill is running a distant third, followed by Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein.

Reilly lost to Patrick in the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Before serving as attorney general, Reilly was Middlesex district attorney.