Charlie Baker announced, and state Democrats pounced, stepping on his opening day message by reintroducing his role in the Big Dig as he reintroduced himself.
The Democrats obviously want a rerun of the 2010 campaign, which is exactly what Baker doesn't want, but he wasn't around to say it himself.
"I'm Charlie Baker, and like you, I call Massachusetts home," Baker says in his web video.
He's in a garden, dressed casually for his announcement. Criticized in his first campaign for being too stiff and too harsh, Charlie Baker 2.0 is going to be a family man:
"I care about our community where we've raised our family, and being a good son and brother. And as corny as it sounds, that's exactly why I want to be your governor," he says.
In his announcement video, Baker makes no mention of the Big Dig, and his involvement in the budget busting project when Bill Weld and Paul Celluci were in the corner office on Beacon Hill.
But the state Democratic party sure did…in its own video, called "Remember Big Dig Baker?"
The Dems dig up and recycle some of the most damaging headlines and news reports from the last governor's race in an effort to make them part of this one, too.
"He writes that Big Dig spending is "simply amazing", and would lead to "draconian measures"', one news announcer says.
Baker was not available today. According to a campaign source, he wants to let his video get all the attention.
And he wasn't in his campaign office, either. His headquarters was almost as empty as it looks. There were a few people working, but they didn't want their pictures taken.
Charlie Baker will be talking to reporters tomorrow, but that may be a day late.
Somehow–on the first day of his campaign, Baker fell a day behind.