Scott Walker is the 45th and current Governor of Wisconsin who assumed office on January 3, 2011 alongside Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch as the successor of Democrat Governor Jim Doyle. Previously, Walker was Executive of Milwaukee County (2002 – 2010) and a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th district (1993 – 2002).
Early Life and Education
Scott Walker was born on November 2, 1967 to parents Patricia Ann and Llewellyn Scott. Born in Colorado Springs, he was raised in Plainfield, Iowa and Delavan, Wisconsin. In Delavan, he went ton Delavan-Darien High School and graduated in 1986 as an Eagle Scout.
Leaving the high school, Walker joined Marquette University for undergraduate education. While at Marquette, he was heavily involved in student government and politics. As a student senator, he ran for student government president in 1988. Unfortunately, he suffered a defeat after a very tight race.
Early Life and Education
Scott Walker is married to Tonette Walker since 1993. The couple has two children: Alex and Matt Walker. The Walker family is a member of Meadowbrook Church in Wauwatosa.
Career
Graduating from Marquette University in 1990, Walker entered the 1990 Wisconsin State Assembly 7th District Election. Unfortunately, he lost the election against Democrat Gwen Moore with a 69% – 31% margin. Subsequently, in 1993, he joined Wisconsin State Assembly 14th District Special Election and won a seat with 57% votes against Democrat Christopher T. Ament and Libertarian Larry A. Boge. Likewise, in 1994, he won the State Assembly election unopposed.
Since 1994, Walker ran for three more Wisconsin State Assembly elections – in 1996, he won with62% votes; in 1998, he defeated Democrat Jim Heidenreich with 68% votes and, in 2000, Walker ran unopposed. As the last two-year term at the Wisconsin State Assembly ended, Walker entered Milwaukee County Executive Special Election in 2002 whereby he defeated James Ryan with a 55% to 45% margin. In 2004, he joined the Milwaukee County Executive Election against David Riemer and subsequently won the seat with 57% votes. Incumbent Executive Scott Walker sought for another term in office and defeated Lena Taylor with 59% votes in 2008.
While at the position of Executive of the Milwaukee County, Scott Walker was heavily involved in welfare works for veterans such as raising funds, organizing commemoration programs and attending several veteran activities and ceremonies. Likewise, as a give-back, Walker donated a total of around $280,000 from his salary to the government in a period of 8 years.
Leaving the position of Executive of Milwaukee County, Walker joined the 2010 Gubernatorial Election. He successfully gained the Republican nomination with 58.6% votes and faced Democratic opponent Tom Barrett in the general election. After a tight competition, Walker managed to win Barrett with 52.29% votes in hand, while Barret received 46.52% votes. In 2012, recall gubernatorial election was held whereby Scott Walker defeated Tom Barrett again with a bigger margin i.e. 53.1% to 46.3%. Likewise, winning the 2014 gubernatorial election, Walker has secured his position in the Wisconsin politics until 2018.
According to Forbes, Walker administration has helped Wisconsin grow to a GDP of $306 billion as of 2016. Likewise, the current median household income – which is projected to increase more rapidly in the next five years – is $55, 638 and the job growth rate is 1.4%. with a population of around 5.7 million, the annual net migration rate is -7000 people. In terms of Wisconsin’s position, it stands 6th in quality of life, 16th in economic climate and 23rd in the regulatory environment.
Donald Trump and Scott Walker
President Donald Trump and Governor Walker were rivals during the 2016 Republican primary race. As the race took pace, Walker fell short in support and dropped off the race. In March 2016, Walker endorsed Ted Cruz. As Trump became the final Republican presumptive nominee, Walker vowed to support him and publicly expressed his view that Trump would make a far better President than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
In December 2016, Walker called Trump to grant more power on refugee intake to state administration. Moreover, he also said, “The federal government was originally created to be a small, central government of limited powers, with everything else left to the states. Through years of federal overreach, this model has been turned on its head, and now is the time to right the ship.”
