Is NCAA President Charlie Baker considering a run for a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts in 2026?
According to a Thursday report by Boston TV station WCVB, the answer is “Yes.”
But a top NCAA executive fired back at that report Friday, calling it “untrue.”
WCVB talked with a couple of political analysts who said that Baker, the former two-term governor of Massachusetts, remains extremely popular in the state and that the Republican could pose a serious threat to Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, who is 78.
Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic analyst, told the station, “Baker is in Massachusetts all the time, endorsing candidates, doing the Boston Pops, all of it. He certainly looks like someone who’s running.”
NCAA Senior VP of External Affairs Tim Buckley strongly denied the report, telling ESPN’s Pete Thamel, “In the last several days alone, Charlie has been in North Carolina for the DI women’s soccer championship, Texas for DII football finals, Kentucky for DI women’s volleyball semifinals and will be in Tennessee soon for the NCAA convention — he’s clearly not running for any political office and is solely focused on the future of college sports. That report is untrue.”
NCAA Senior VP of External Affairs Tim Buckley tells ESPN that a report in Boston linking NCAA president Charlie Baker to a Senate run in Massachusetts is “untrue.” He adds: “In the last several days alone, Charlie has been in North Carolina for the DI women’s soccer… pic.twitter.com/3JDveSKLpz
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 27, 2024
Buckley is speaking out as more than just an NCAA official; he helped run Baker’s prior political campaigns in Massachusetts.
Yet if Baker runs, he’s a strong contender, Republican analyst Rob Gray told WCVB.
“Baker would have a chance to win,” Gray said. “I mean, he’s the exception. He’s run twice for governor and won successfully. He can raise the money and Ed Markey has a lot of problems.”
While there are sure to be jokes about Baker seeking a better deal through the “transfer portal,” he would actually be looking at a pay cut if he were to win a U.S. Senate seat. He currently earns $3 million per year as NCAA president. U.S. senators earn $174,000.
Still, a U.S. Senate seat brings more prestige.
“Do you really want to keep doing (Name, Image Likeness) deals with college kids?” Marsh said (via WCVB).
Baker assumed office as the NCAA’s sixth president in March 2023. He’s faced one of the most challenging periods in the sanctioning body’s history, as it deals with tough issues, including how to regulate NIL and the transfer portal, conference realignments, and legal issues involving athlete compensation, gender equity and more.
