In his first State of the Commonwealth address in the time of COVID-19, Gov. Baker yesterday praised the essential workers who have stepped up during the pandemic and also lamented the heavy toll the virus has taken on the state. While noting the immense challenges for vaccine delivery, transportation, unemployment, business closures and economic recovery, Gov. Baker declared, “I know the state of our Commonwealth is strong.”

When asked by host Joe Mathieu on GBH's Morning Edition if he thought Baker's optimistic assessment was correct, GBH News senior editor Peter Kadzis responded, “Yes, surprisingly so."

"I think his sincerity came through," Kadzis said. "Baker is still Charlie Baker. He’s first and foremost a manager — he’s like a super town manager. He’s a guy trying to fix everything and get things done. That really came through last night.”

Baker set out to draw a strong contrast between the political atmosphere in Massachusetts and the “out of control” affairs in Washington throughout his address, Kadzis said. “Baker’s message, and I think it resonated, is that Beacon Hill, for all the differences they have up there, is better than the rest of the nation, and that Beacon Hill is not Capitol Hill.”

Watch: Kadzis on Baker worrying about his own backyard.

In an unexpected moment in his speech, Baker referenced Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ sports comedy starring Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach who starts coaching an English soccer team. Baker pointed to the moment when the character references the famous Walt Whitman line, “Be curious — not judgmental,” as a lesson for the way to move forward in a deeply divided political climate.

“Baker’s politics last night were to be above politics,” Kadzis said, noting that Baker was aiming for bipartisanship. “He transcended that. He totally raised himself above politics, which, paradoxically, was a very shrewd political move.”

The question on the mind of many citizens and pundits alike is whether Baker will throw his hat in the ring and run for another term in 2022. His address last night would indicate that’s still up in the air, Kadzis said. But, he added, “I’ll go out on a limb and say I think he is running. Whether he runs or not is going to be a conversation he has with his wife. I suspect his wife will have the final say.”