Setti Warren Really Looks Like He’s Running for Governor

Photo via AP

Newton Mayor Setti Warren appears to be teeing up a run against Gov. Charlie Baker in 2018.

After announcing earlier this month that he does not plan to seek re-election—as well as hiring John Walsh, an influential adviser who has worked with Deval Patrick—Warren has apparently been calling potential donors, and telling them he wants the Republican governor’s job.

According to a scoop in the Globe, Warren, a Democrat, has started trying to solicit donations before the end of the year—doing so would let him max out gifts from donors over three full years.

“‘I am going to run for governor and I am starting my campaign now,'” Warren has been saying, an unnamed source tells the paper.

Warren has been mayor since 2009 and is a veteran of the Iraq War. He put himself in the running for U.S. Senate not long after taking office but later dropped out.

This year, he opposed Question 2, the ballot question to lift the cap on charter schools in the state. Baker was among the most prominent supporters of the initiative.

He hasn’t said publicly what he plans to do once he leaves office in Newton, and hasn’t confirmed his gubernatorial ambitions. We also don’t know who else might challenge Baker, or even whether Baker will be seeking re-election. There is a lot to watch. But it looks an awful lot like Warren will be in the mix.