Offering a contrast to the division that has surrounded Washington politics and the start of President Donald Trump's administration, Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday night extended his hand to the Democrats who control Beacon Hill and asked for their help in supporting better education, job opportunities for veterans and state mental health services.

The governor called for a new $4,000 tax credit for businesses that hire unemployed veterans and promised to boost funding by $2 million for law enforcement to advance efforts to arrest and prosecute drug traffickers.

He also vowed to oppose broad-based tax increases in an apparent bid to snuff out any efforts that may be percolating among Democrats.

"Fiscal responsibility is challenging work. It's not the stuff that wins popularity contests," Baker said.

After losing a ballot campaign to expand charter schools last year, Baker said he planned to work with Rep. Alice Peisch of Wellesley and Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow to create more school "empowerment zones" to give educators flexibility and urged state education officials to use their authority to take over struggling school districts, which has worked in places like Lawrence and Holyoke.

Baker delivered his "State of the Commonwealth" address as he begins his third year in office amid a period of economic prosperity in Massachusetts.

Despite persistent state budget problems, the state is experiencing a 16-year low in unemployment and slow, but prolonged economic growth that has created 120,000 jobs in the past two years, he said.

"Too much of what passes for political dialogue these days isn't dialogue at all. It's talking points, character assassination and deliberate misrepresentation," Baker said. "Wedge issues may be great for making headlines, but they do not move this Commonwealth forward. Success is measured by what we accomplish together."

The governor, in a speech that ran 3,581 words long, ran through the litany of accomplishments that he credited to his partnership with lawmakers, including a clean energy bill and the regulation of ride-ordering services like Uber and Lyft.

He also took credit for speeding the expansion of broadband internet to underserved communities in western Massachusetts and reducing the number of homeless families living in hotels and motels, and the number of prescribed opioids by 15 percent. State welfare caseloads have fallen 25 percent, Baker said.

In contrast to Trump's inaugural during which he chided government and the political class for getting in the way, Baker spoke of what government can accomplish for people when public servants work together.

"Our obligation to the people we serve is too important to place politics and partisanship before progress and results," Baker said. "The changes in Washington don't change this powerful obligation."

Baker also called out to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, telling him he looked forward to planning a Super Bowl victory party with the Democrat in a few weeks.

The theme of bipartisanship that infused his remarks stood in contrast to the tenor of politics on Capitol Hill that have only grown more divisive since President Donald Trump's victory, and Baker drew his biggest applause toward the end of his 36-minute speech when he spoke to the power of compromise.

As Baker enters his third year in office and some Democrats are beginning to contemplate a challenge to his likely re-election bid in 2018, the governor and lawmakers are girding for debates over criminal justice reforms, recreational marijuana and surging health care costs. Notably, Baker did not mention any of those issues in his remarks.

Instead, Baker again vowed to oppose broad-based tax increases in an apparent bid to snuff out any efforts that may be percolating among Democrats. "Fiscal responsibility is challenging work. It's not the stuff that wins popularity contests," Baker said.

The tax lines drew a standing ovation from Republicans and a smattering of Democrats in the audience.

Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, however, said, "I think the voters are going to have something to say about that in 2018," a reference to the proposed surtax on households with incomes above $1 million headed toward the ballot in two years.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo enjoyed what he heard from the governor, even if it was "longer than expected."

"I thought it was a great speech. I thought many items, in terms of the accomplishments, as he was quick to point out we accomplished together. He set forth some agenda items for the next year and I was very pleased, especially with that portion relative to collaboration of all branches of government working to get things done," DeLeo said.

DeLeo said he couldn't think of anything missing from the speech, but was "anxious" to see details of the Baker's fiscal 2018 budget proposal. "That's where the real interest will lie," DeLeo said.

Baker will file his budget proposal on Wednesday afternoon.

In his speech, Baker said he would ask for $37 million in the budget to expand clinical programming at Bridgewater State Hospital, a medium-security prison serving inmates with mental illness. Baker also intends to remove corrections officers from the hospital as part of a broader hospital reform.

After losing a ballot campaign to expand charter schools last year, Baker said he planned to work with Rep. Alice Peisch of Wellesley and Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow, who he campaigned against last cycle, to create more school "empowerment zones" to give educators flexibility. He also urged state education officials to use their authority to take over struggling school districts, which has worked in places like Lawrence and Holyoke.

In one of the more unscripted moments of the night, Jaclyn Bell, a 26-year-old mother from Brockton, broke down into tears from her seat in the front of the chamber as Baker spoke about how she is taking advantage of a program that allows students to move from a community college into UMass for half the price.

Baker and the audience gave Bell and standing ovation.

The speech took place amid a period of economic prosperity in Massachusetts. Despite persistent state budget problems, the state is experiencing a 16-year low in unemployment and slow, but prolonged economic growth that has created 120,000 jobs in the past two years, he said.

"It was one of his best speeches. He took a victory lap for the last two years and provided a road map for the 2018 re-election and that's what that speech was," said Democratic political consultant Mary Anne Marsh, of the Dewey Square Group.

Marsh said taking credit for his accomplishments should help "build trust with voters." "Most of this speech was geared to the economy and everything that makes the economy go and grow, education, transportation, training. Everything he talked about you could fit under the umbrella of the economy and that is his strong suit. Not surprising," she said.

On the MBTA, Baker said he believes they have the team and plan in place to repair and improve service on the aging transit system, and he thanked Jim O'Brien of Carmen's Union and Brian Shortsleeve of T, seated together in the audience, for agreeing on a contract and avoiding an "epic brawl."

He also promised to bring together cybersecurity experts from around the world over the next 10 months to foster and grow the industry in Massachusetts, and said he would sign an executive order establishing a "Council on Older Adults" to study the issues facing seniors.

The governor's speech ran 3,581 words long, and included a litany of accomplishments that he credited to his partnership with lawmakers, including a clean energy bill and the regulation of ride-ordering services like Uber and Lyft.

He also took credit for speeding the expansion of broadband internet to underserved communities in western Massachusetts and reducing the number of homeless families living in hotels and motels, and the number of prescribed opioids by 15 percent. State welfare caseloads have fallen 25 percent, Baker said.

Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, a Dorchester Democrat, said she was pleased to hear Baker talk about compromise with lawmakers and address topics like education and homelessness, but also found something missing.

"One things I would have loved to have heard more about is criminal justice reform. That's a big issue," Forry said.

Rep. Patricia Haddad, a Somerset Democrat who served as Speakr Pro Tempore last session, found the speech "uplifting."

"I like the way he spoke about where we're going together, I think that's important especially with some of the national things that are happening," Haddad said. "It has been nice, it has been nice to feel respected, it has been nice to feel engaged -- and he wants to be engaged as all of his secretaries. It just makes me feel good that -- I'm going to say something really crazy but -- there's no Democrat or Republican."

Former Gov. Bill Weld, a early mentor to Baker's career who is now a lobbyist at ML Strategies, said, "It was all substance, it was very straight-forward. It was pretty fast-paced given how much meat was in there. It's not like an hour later you're going to be hungry again, there was plenty in there to digest for quite a while."

Baker also called out to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, telling him he looked forward to planning a Super Bowl victory party with the Democrat in a few weeks.