Scott Walker

Scott Walker (born November 2, 1967, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.) is an American politician who was governor of Wisconsin (2011–19). He sought the Republican Party’s nomination in the U.S. presidential election race of 2016.

Walker’s father was a pastor, and the family lived in several cities before settling (1977) in Delavan, Wisconsin. Scott attended Marquette University but left during his senior year, in 1990. He then began working at the American Red Cross. After a failed bid (1990) for a seat in the state assembly, Walker ran again in 1993 and was elected on a platform of fiscal conservatism. That year—on the birthday of U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan, whom Walker deeply admired—he married Tonette Tarantino, and the couple later had two children. While a state legislator, he focused on economic issues and was known for “tough on crime” legislation that included lengthening criminal sentences and curtailing paroles. He also supported privately run prisons. In 2002 Walker successfully ran for county executive of Milwaukee county. Four years later he entered the governor’s race but later withdrew because of a lack of funds. He staged a second bid in 2010 and won.

Shortly after taking office in 2011, Governor Walker spearheaded a controversial bill that cut the collective bargaining rights of public workers. Although Democrats tried to prevent a vote, it ultimately passed the state Senate. The anti-union legislation drew national attention and sparked an uproar that led to a recall campaign, which collected enough signatures to force a recall election in 2012. Walker easily won, and he was reelected by a similar margin in 2014. Throughout his governorship he focused on conservative fiscal policies. He cut taxes and state spending, and he promoted bills that further weakened unions, notably overseeing a right-to-work law (2015) that prohibited private-sector unions from requiring members to pay dues. While the efforts were designed to stimulate economic growth, by 2015 Wisconsin faced a large budget deficit, and job creation lagged. Walker also introduced education reform, notably increasing school vouchers.

In July 2015 Walker announced that he was entering the U.S. presidential election race of 2016. Although initially seen as a front-runner for the Republican nomination, he soon lagged in polls and struggled to raise money. In September 2015 Walker announced that he was suspending his campaign. He subsequently supported the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, who was later elected president.

Walker ran for a third term as governor in 2018, and, despite the state’s strong economy, he was narrowly defeated by Democrat Tony Evers. His loss was partly blamed on growing opposition to Trump. Before leaving office in January 2019, Walker controversially signed legislation that limited the incoming governor’s power.

Walker wrote (with Marc Thiessen) the memoir Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge (2013).