Polito is a member of the Republican Party. Her experience in politics and government includes stints as a Shrewsbury Town Meeting member, a member of the Shrewsbury Zoning Board of Appeals, and a Shrewsbury selectman. Polito was Commissioner of the Massachusetts State Lottery from 1999 to 2000.
In 2000, Polito was elected State Representative for the 11th District of Worcester, which covers the town of Shrewsbury and precincts 1 and 4 of the adjacent town of Westborough in Worcester County. She served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011, winning every election without any opposition.
On March 1, 2010, Polito announced she would run for the office of Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts. She was unopposed in the Republican primary. Polito lost in the general election to Democratic candidate Steve Grossman, but received the most votes of any Republican running for office in Massachusetts in 2010.
On December 3, 2013, Polito announced her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. The leading GOP candidate for Governor, Charlie Baker, endorsed her candidacy. She was not opposed in the September 2014 primary. Baker and Polito won the 2014 gubernatorial election, defeating Democratic candidates Martha Coakley and Steve Kerrigan, respectively, 48.40% to 46.54%.
2018 campaign
In August 2018, Baker and Polito formally launched their re-election campaign. Both were successful in the Republican primary election held on September 4, 2018, with Polito running unopposed. Baker and Polito faced challengers Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey of the Democratic Party in the general election. The Baker/Polito ticket defeated the Gonzales/Palfrey ticket by a margin of 1,781,341 votes to 885,770.
Issues and record
Karyn Polito has been described as a socially moderate Republican who is generally conservative on most other issues. On The Issues, a non-partisan organization that records a politician's position on issues, considers her to be a "Moderate Conservative." Polito did not vote for President Donald Trump in 2016 and announced that she does not support Trump's reelection.
Polito had an A+ rating from Gun Owners' Action League, and an A rating from the National Rifle Association.
As State Representative in 2007, Polito voted yes on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. She did support same-sex civil unions. In 2013, however, Polito reversed her position and expressed public support for same-sex marriage.
