OPINION | Chris McCarthy: Governor Baker’s Fall River Donors

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is just as popular with Democrats as he is with Republicans. On the SouthCoast, they're also willing to put their money where their mouth is, as Baker is getting support from the Democratic establishment in Southeastern Massachusetts.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the Fall River establishment is supporting Republican Gov. Baker this year. The powerful Senator Michael Rodrigues has a close relationship with Baker, and the governor is a regular at Sen. Rodrigues' fundraisers, where area Democrats happily line up to take selfies with America's most popular governor.

Baker's donors include:

JASIEL CORREIA: The current Mayor of Fall River gave Republican Gov. Baker $200 back in 2016. Given all the publicity around the federal investigation and the grand jury involving Mayor Correia, it is not a shock that Baker hasn't taken any additional contributions from the Democrat mayor.

MICHAEL LUND: The former Fall River City Councillor and businessman has given Baker $1500 since 2017.

KEN FIOLA: The attorney and head of the Fall River Office of Economic Development has donated $450 in total to Baker since 2017. His wife is State Representative Carol Fiola, a Democrat elected from Fall River and a previous member of the Governor's Council.

JOSEPH MACY: The retired judge and current corporate counsel for the city of Fall River donated $200 to Gov. Baker in 2017.

KATHYANN VIVEIROS: The current Fall River City Administrator donated $500 on March 27, 2018.

NANCY PAULL: The CEO of SSTAR, a mental health and addiction center in Fall River, donated $200 to Gov. Baker in 2017.

THE KARAM FAMILY: The Karam family has given the governor over $10,000 since 2009. The powerful family is long active in politics and has interests in real estate, finance and media. The Karams joined Sen. William "Biff" MacLean in hosting a Fall River fundraiser for California Governor Pete Wilson at the request of then-Governor Bill Weld when he was running for President in the 1990's. It takes true political talent to rise into the world of presidential politics, and Baker was there with Weld when he trusted the Karams and MacLean to deliver on financial support for the California governor.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.