Scott Walker set to jump into GOP presidential race

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Monday jumps into a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates that already includes more than a half dozen current and former governors.

Walker, 47, hopes to set himself apart as a Harley-riding, average American anchored by Midwest values who is a proven fighter and winner.

He has logged three election victories in the past four years, and one of those battles — a 2012 recall attempt — is sure to be center stage as he launches his presidential bid. Monday’s announcement event will be in the same suburban Milwaukee exposition center where he celebrated his victory over those who tried to recall him from office. His campaign released a pre-announcement video urging viewers to “Recall the recall.”

“Scott Walker stood firm and won in a major victory for taxpayers against the big government special interests,” the campaign said in a statement released with the video.

With his entrance into the race, members of the top tier of the GOP field all will have officially declared their candidacies. Walker has been at or near the top of recent polls, along with former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. And he has consistently led the field in Iowa, where the presidential nominating contest officially begins with caucuses.

After his announcement, Walker is heading on a campaign blitz with stops in Nevada, South Carolina and New Hampshire. He will cap off the trip with a three-day RV road trip through Iowa.

Walker has been hailed as a conservative hero for taking on labor unions in a blue state that has voted Democratic for president since 1988. He first won election as governor in 2010 and then became the first U.S. governor to beat back a recall attempt. When he defeated Democrat Mary Burke in 2014 for a second term, speculation mounted that Walker could be a presidential contender.

His appeal to GOP voters stems from his clashes with unions, which has made him a natural target for labor allies in the Democratic Party and President Obama. Walker also projects an “every man” persona, referring to himself as the “son of a small-town preacher” or talking about shopping at Kohl’s with discount coupons.

“There’s kind of this Midwestern nice that he has,” said Ed Goeas, a senior adviser to his campaign.

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Faced with a $3 billion budget shortfall left by his Democratic predecessor, Jim Doyle, Walker set out in 2011 to erase the red ink. He sought to severely limit collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers and require them to pay more for their health care coverage and pensions. Tens of thousands of people protested Walker’s budget at the state capital in Madison, leading to the expensive and bitter attempt to boot the governor and like-minded officials out of office.

Obama criticized Walker in March for signing a “right-to-work” bill that bans requirements for private-sector workers to pay union dues. By attracting the president’s attention, Walker said that indicated to him he had perhaps attained “front-runner” status that would benefit him in the GOP primary and the general election.

Walker has been criticized by some GOP rivals and Democrats alike for changing his views. He once supported a pathway to citizenship as part of a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws — something Bush is repeatedly criticized for.

“My view has changed. I’m flat out saying it,” Walker said on Fox News.

Political analysts say he faces several challenges in the race to the White House. While his conservative credentials may help him win the Republican nomination, they may hurt him in the general election, Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter predicted.

And it’s unclear whether Walker is ready for the harsh media spotlight of a national campaign and the litany of questions he will face on national and international issues he hasn’t had to deal with as governor.

“It is a deficit or at least a threat that he has to be prepared to make up for,” said Charles Franklin, who has followed Walker for years and is director of the Marquette University Law School Poll in Wisconsin.

Franklin also noted Walker hasn’t scored well on polls measuring how much voters in Wisconsin think he cares about people like them.

“That’s actually an area where he does not do terribly well,” Franklin said.

In an October poll, 50% said “cares about people like me” does not describe Walker, compared with 46% who said it did.

On the other hand, 63% said Walker is able to gets things done, compared with 33% who said he couldn’t.

He also has an experienced campaign team and is starting the race with a large donor list from his three statewide campaigns, complete with thousands of out-of-state contributors to help him build a national network.

Contributing: Catalina Camia

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