Obama strategist Dale Axelrod takes Scott Walker seriously as a potential presidential candidate but tells WisPolitics Walker hasn’t been tested in the national spotlight.
By Kay Nolan, June 2, 2015
— 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.”
Axelrod told an overflowing crowd at a Marquette University Law School’s “On the Issues” program that Walker has “thrilled the GOP base with his unrelenting war on unions” and by emphasizing his roots as a pastor’s son, which appeals to social conservatives.
He noted that the Koch brothers “are smitten” with Walker and that in today’s world, extremely wealthy people are able to influence politics in a way not seen since the Industrial Revolution’s financial giants, such as J.P. Morgan and the Rockefellers.
But, he added, “running for president of the United States has more dimensions to it than running for governor of Wisconsin” and that Walker has yet to be tested on many presidential issues.