Dem
51
GOP
49
Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) has landed his next gig. After he leaves office on Jan. 5 of next year, and then has a few weeks of vacation, he will take over the presidency of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA is kind of a mess, and has been for years, so Baker isn't exactly opting for an easy retirement.
We pass this news along for one reason. There are some folks out there—Republicans, Democrats and independents—who would like to see a non-whackadoodle Republican gain control of the Party and serve as its standard-bearer in 2024. Clearly, that won't be Baker; running the NCAA is not going to leave time for mounting a presidential bid. Maybe in 2028, but by then he'll be 72, which is kind of old by the standards of any president besides the last two. So it would certainly seem that one of the favorite non-whackadoodle Republican options is off the table. There's still Phil Scott (R-VT), Chris Sununu (R-NH) and Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), though. (Z)