QUINCY -- Republican gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker on Friday toured the heavily Democratic city of Quincy, continuing a flirtation with the state's local officials as he looks to peel support from his opponent, Attorney General Martha Coakley.
Baker criticized Coakley for wanting to increase state spending by what he said could be as much as $3 billion.
"I think what we need to do at this point in time is cinch our belt a bit on Beacon Hill," he told reporters outside Quincy city hall.
Coakley's camp said Baker's calculation of her spending plans was inaccurate.
Baker met with Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, who said he had not decided which candidate to back in the general. A Democrat, Koch supported Treasurer Steve Grossman in the primary.
Estimating that he and running mate Karyn Polito had met with more than half the state's mayors, Baker said he was trying to minimize the partisan element of his campaign, a must for Republicans in heavily Democratic Massachusetts.
Baker took a pass on weighing in on Coakley's prosecution of former state Treasurer Timothy Cahill, a Quincy resident, for corruption. Cahill's case ended in a mistrial in 2012.
"To tell you the truth, I was kind of busy then," Baker said. "I had a day job."
After losing the 2010 gubernatorial election to Governor Deval Patrick, Baker worked at a Cambridge-based venture capital firm.
Jim O'Sullivan can be reached at JimOSullivan@globe.com.