Springfield's Scott Lively, a conservative whose views have made him a target of the Southern Poverty Law Center, ran for Massachusetts governor in 2014 as an Independent. Earlier this month Lively filed documents with Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin's office to challenge Baker as a Republican.
In 2014, Lively's Independent run garnered him about 20,000 votes — just south of 1 percent. If that sounds small, it's much higher than he thought possible.
The Senate president, who has taken a leave of absence during an investigation of allegations of sexual assault and influence-flaunting by his civil-law husband, is getting strong support from public figures and others in the western Massachusetts town he represents.
