Wisconsin's union-busting Governor Scott Walker confirmed Monday he is joining the crowded field of Republicans jostling to be the party's presidential nominee, arguing he can sell his conservative record to mainstream America. Walker, who vaulted into national prominence when he picked a fierce fight with labour unions, declared his widely expected 2016 White House run on Twitter and was due to deliver a speech in his home state later in the day.
"I'm in. I'm running for president because Americans deserve a leader who will fight and win for them," he wrote. Walker, 47, becomes the 15th major Republican to join the race. A 16th, Ohio Governor John Kasich, is expected to enter later this month. Walker is currently polling in second place behind former Florida governor Jeb Bush across a range of surveys, according to RealClearPolitics.com.
The Wisconsinite's announcement comes as no surprise - he has publicly mulled a bid for months and his staff said nearly two weeks ago that he was filing the necessary papers. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and first lady, is favoured to win the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed President Barack Obama. Walker instituted a series of conservative reforms in Wisconsin, including major tax cuts, a right-to-work law that makes union dues voluntary instead of mandatory, a tightening of abortion laws and reining in of state regulations.
"I'm a conservative because I believe in a smaller government, lower taxes and a free market that helps businesses succeed and hire," Walker wrote in a campaign email. "My conservative values come from being raised in a small town by a Baptist minister and a bookkeeper. I was taught that with courage, hard work and a strong faith you can accomplish anything." His national profile was non-existent until 2011, when his plan to reduce the collective bargaining power of state employees brought the wrath of unions, whose members led intense demonstrations in Wisconsin's capital city of Madison.
According to some estimates, 100,000 people converged on the state house. But Walker, belying his friendly demeanor - he goes hunting, rides Harley-Davidson motorcycles and appears more comfortable in jeans than a suit - stood steely and unflappable, winning a showdown against furious Democratic state lawmakers and eventually ramming through his reforms. Democratic National Committee chair and congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was quick to attack Walker's record.
"To promote adherence to his rigid partisan views and to please the special interests that have backed his campaigns, Walker has pit the people of Wisconsin against each other in contentious ideological fights," she said in a statement. "He's gutted education, refused investments in infrastructure and health care, and shuttered women's health clinics, while pushing tax policies that have overwhelmingly benefited the wealthiest few." Richard Trumka, head of AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labour umbrella group, had a shorter response: "Scott Walker is a national disgrace."