Gov. Scott Walker dismissed questions today about alleged bid rigging during his time as Milwaukee County exec because “no one won the bid” in the end.
Walker’s appearance at HUSCO International in Waukesha came on the heels of a report that the ongoing John Doe probe is looking an emails exchange between Walker while county exec and longtime associate John Hiller on a proposed real estate contract in which Hiller was involved.
With right-to-work legislation moving quickly through the Legislature, Gov. Scott Walker is stressing the positive impact of bill on job creation. That’s a departure from two months ago when he suggested the legislation would have minimal impact compared to other economic development tools.
I captured the mood and the scene for the NY Times’ First Draft political newsletter, and contrasted Walker’s lonely, drab exit to the colorful fanfare when he announced his run in July, an event I had also covered. For Mr. Walker, who is fond of joking that “Madison is 68 square miles surrounded by reality”
– a rendering of a quote first used by former Gov. Lee S. Dreyfus, the scene on Monday afternoon in the state’s capital must have seemed surreal. As dozens of teachers and other public employee union members with whom Mr. Walker has often clashed cheered in the bright sunshine outside the Edgewater Hotel.
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin withdrew from the 2016 Republican presidential race on Monday, citing a need to “clear the field” for a “positive conservative message.” Updated, 9:59 p.m. | Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, whose early glow as a Republican presidential contender was snuffed out with the rise of anti-establishment rivals, announced Monday that he was quitting the race and urged some of his 15 rivals to do the same so the party could unite against the leading candidate, Donald J. Trump.
Gov. Scott Walker formally kicked off his long-anticipated campaign for the presidency Monday, promising to take nationwide his battles in Wisconsin fighting unions and other “big-government special interests.” Walker also pledged to take the fight to those who threaten America’s safety around the globe and to stand up for the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, religious freedoms, and for the “healthy or sick, born or unborn.”
Gov. Scott Walker says he will sign a proposed ban on abortion after 20 weeks regardless of whether it includes exemptions for rape and incest. The current draft of the bill, up for a joint public hearing today, does not include the exceptions, and Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has said he was unsure if the bill would move in his house without them. Walker earlier this year issued a letter pledging to sign a ban after 20 weeks once it reaches his desk.
Obama strategist David Axelrod said today in Milwaukee that he regards Walker very seriously as a presidential candidate, calling the guv a “very practiced and accomplished politician.” Still, he added it’s early in the race and Walker “has a lot to prove.”
Walker and Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett visited the zoo, where they also handfed fish to a seal named Scooter and visited the penguin exhibit. Later they headed to La Crosse to tour the Loggers baseball stadium and then to Green Bay, where they visited the construction site for the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
The tour came to mark the start of this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs May 2-10. Walker’s administration announced the tourism economy topped $18.5 billion in 2014, a $1 billion boost from $17.5 billion in 2013. The 5.5 percent increase was spurred by a rise in both visits and spending per trip.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday night Gov. Scott Walker has won elections in Wisconsin by “peddling a series of falsehoods,” but has to be taken seriously in his bid for the presidency because he presents himself in a likable way. De Blasio spent a good portion of a nearly 40-minute speech at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s Founders Day Gala talking about Walker.
Gov. Scott Walker says he’s in favor of continuing to allow legal immigration into the U.S. if “first and foremost we protect American workers and American wages.” “If that can be done, then certainly we can continue to have legal immigration,” Walker told reporters Wednesday afternoon near Appleton.