Openly gay state Senator Richard Tisei will be on the Massachusetts GOP gubernatorial ticket as Charles D. Baker Jr.'s running mate, the Boston Globe reported.

Republicans overwhelmingly picked the pair at their state convention Saturday.

Baker trounced his opponent Christy Mihos with 89 percent of the delegate votes, denying Mihos the 15 percent share needed to qualify for the September primary ballot.

“We have a job to do and that job starts today,” Baker told the crowd. “It's time to take our state back from the Beacon Hill insiders, the status quo-ers and nonreformers, and give the people of Massachusetts the government they deserve – affordable, accountable and responsive.”

Baker will face Democratic Governor Deval Patrick and state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who is running as an Independent, in the fall.

Patrick is a gay rights ally who supports gay marriage and transgender rights.

Baker, who supports gay marriage, has already drawn criticism from social conservatives. At the convention, they decried Tisei's co-sponsorship of a transgender protections bill being considered by lawmakers. The bill would protect transgender people in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. Passage of the bill has been elusive for supporters, who have floated similar measures since 2007.

Opponents warn that the bill would invite sex offenders to lurk in public restrooms, endangering the safety of women and children.

The Baker campaign issued a statement saying that he does not support the bill, dubbed the “bathroom bill” by opponents.

“I think they're trying to scare people into opposing the bill and I don't think it's really an issue,” Tisei told his local paper last summer. “I know it's been dubbed the 'bathroom bill,' but this is really a bill to treat people equally and fairly under the law.”

Tisei, 47, is among the three openly gay Republican candidates endorsed so far this year by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that promotes openly gay elected officials.