GOP’s Baker leaps into race against Massachusetts Governor Patrick

Baker, who has been seen by many of the party faithful as the leading Republican challenger, is planning to run a campaign that leverages his strong background in state government and his firsthand knowledge of the state’s healthcare system. He intends to challenge Governor Deval Patrick’s approach to the fiscal crisis and his collaboration with the Legislature to raise the sales tax.

“I’m in,’’ Baker, 52, said during a press conference yesterday at Babson College in Wellesley, several hours after informing the staff at Harvard Pilgrim of his plans. “I’m very well suited for this task. And I would regret it, for quite a while, if under such difficult circumstances I chose to sit id ly by and not participate.’’

Baker drew on the image of former governor William F. Weld, a socially liberal and fiscally conservative Republican, in describing his own candidacy. He deflected any questions about Patrick’s performance, though he did describe the state as being in “deep, deep serious, long-term trouble.’’

“My crystal ball isn’t telling me what the election in 2010 is fundamentally and ultimately going to be about,’’ Baker said. “But I can tell you right now, it ought to be about jobs and the economy and the business climate.’’