Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker hailed voters’ support for conservative reforms in the Badger State as evidence “there is an opening” that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney could exploit to become the first GOP presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan to capture Wisconsin.
Walker told Newsmax in an exclusive interview: “I think there is an opening there, not just because of our election, but you look back in the year 2000, and again in 2004, Wisconsin was the most competitive blue state in America."
Then-Vice President Al Gore beat George W. Bush by just .2 percent in Wisconsin in 2000. In 2004, Sen. John Kerry again defeated Bush in the Wisconsin, this time by just .4 percent.
“So it’s a very, very competitive state,” Walker said.
The Wisconsin governor and rising GOP rock star attributed Sen. John McCain’s double-digit loss in 2008 to then-Sen. Barack Obama’s demographic and geographic advantages. He noted Obama was from the neighboring state of Illinois.
For Romney to capitalize on the Wisconsin opportunity, Walker said, he’ll have to convince voters that he’s sincere about tackling the tough issues that will help fix the economy.
“I think it suggests that anyone who is willing to take on the tough fiscal challenges facing our states and our federal government will be uplifted by the voters,” he added. “We had a state that has been historically evenly split, yet voters said they wanted elected officials who had the courage to tackle these tough problems.”
See the exclusive excerpt below:
See the full Newsmax interview — Walker Urges Romney to Define What He Stands for and Win
See other exclusive excerpts from the Newsmax interview with Gov. Scott Walker:
Gov. Walker Begs Off Potential VP Talk
Gov. Walker: My Win Shows the Way for Other States
Walker to Romney: 'Parallel What We Did' To Win
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