Wisconsin Governor and current GOP Presidential front-runner Scott Walker claims to have been as tested as any political candidate in our times based upon death threats and organized protests of his policies in regards to unions in his home state.
“I think there’s no doubt,” said Walker on WKXL’s New Hampshire Now with Chris Ryan. “It’s not something that I looked to do, or set out doing. I didn’t say four years ago, I want to put myself on the map.”
Walker’s appeal to conservatives and independents is as a individual who can boast of accomplishments such as balancing the budget after being faced by a $3.6 billion dollar deficit, he was able to produce a surplus and reduce property and income taxes. He also reduced the state’s unemployment rate from 9.2% when he took office to 4.6% last month.
In the interview above, he also spoke about the drug epidemic in New Hampshire, saying that he would give full-scale federal block grants with no strings attached to state and local governments to combat the issue in the best way they see fit with full access to the money. Other topics discussed were college affordability and his views on being Commander in Chief.
But, his biggest appeal to Republicans is simply that he fought entrenched interests in Government and national Democratic campaign apparatus and won twice, first in a recall (it was the first time in US history a Governor won a recall election) and then last November when he won re-election by 5.7% over challenger Mary Burke.
“They threw everything they could at us,” he said. “They brought people in from around the country. There were people who issued death threats and attacks and showed up at events and targeted my kids on facebook.”
Walker plans to make a announcement about his run for the Presidency after the budget is completed, which he expects will be by early June throwing in, “My hope is they’ll pass a budget that will allow us for the 5th and 6th consecutive year to lower property taxes.”
