- In full:
- Scott Kevin Walker
- Born:
- November 2, 1967, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. (age 59)
- Title / Office:
- governor (2011-2019), Wisconsin
- Political Affiliation:
- Republican Party
Scott Walker
-
Who is Scott Walker?
Scott Walker, born on November 2, 1967, is an American politician known for serving as the governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. Before becoming governor, Walker served as a state legislator, focusing on economic issues and tough-on-crime legislation. In 2002, he was elected Milwaukee County executive.
As governor, Walker implemented conservative fiscal policies, such as cutting taxes and state spending, and weakened unions. A controversial bill curtailing collective bargaining rights for public workers led to a recall election in 2012, which Walker survived. In 2015, he ran for U.S. president but dropped out. Despite Wisconsin's strong economy, Walker lost his bid for a third term as governor in 2018 to Democrat Tony Evers.
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What position did Scott Walker hold in government?
Scott Walker served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. Prior to his role as governor, Walker was the county executive of Milwaukee County, a position he held from 2002 to 2010. Walker's political career began in the Wisconsin State Assembly, where he served from 1993 to 2002, focusing on fiscal conservatism and "tough on crime" legislation. In 2015, Walker briefly entered the U.S. presidential election race but later suspended his campaign.
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Which state did Scott Walker serve as governor?
Scott Walker served as the governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. Walker's political career began in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1993, and he later became the county executive of Milwaukee County in 2002. As governor, he focused on conservative fiscal policies, cutting taxes and state spending, and weakening unions. In 2015, Wisconsin faced a significant budget deficit, and job creation was slow. Walker ran for president in 2016 but dropped out of the race. In 2018, he was defeated by Tony Evers in his bid for a third term as governor.
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What political party does Scott Walker belong to?
Scott Walker is an American politician who was the governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party, and he sought the party's nomination in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Walker is known for his conservative fiscal policies, including cutting taxes and state spending, as well as his efforts to weaken unions.
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What are some major changes or laws Scott Walker supported as governor?
As governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker focused on conservative fiscal policies, cutting taxes and state spending. In 2011, he spearheaded a controversial bill that cut the collective bargaining rights of public workers, which sparked an uproar and a recall election in 2012, which Walker won. Walker also promoted bills that further weakened unions, overseeing a right-to-work law in 2015 that prohibited private-sector unions from requiring members to pay dues. Additionally, Walker introduced education reform, notably increasing school vouchers. Before leaving office in January 2019, Walker signed legislation that limited the incoming governor’s power.
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How did Scott Walker's actions as governor affect his state and national politics?
Scott Walker's governorship in Wisconsin (2011–19) significantly impacted both state and national politics. Walker, a Republican, focused on conservative fiscal policies, cutting taxes and state spending while weakening unions.
His controversial bill curtailing collective bargaining rights for public workers sparked an uproar and recall campaign, which he survived. Walker also oversaw a right-to-work law that prohibited private-sector unions from requiring members to pay dues. These efforts, designed to stimulate economic growth, coincided with a large budget deficit and lagging job creation in Wisconsin by 2015.
Nationally, Walker briefly entered the 2016 presidential race but withdrew due to low polling and fundraising struggles. His actions in Wisconsin, particularly regarding unions, drew national attention and significant out-of-state interest group funding during recall elections. Despite a strong state economy, Walker was narrowly defeated in his 2018 reelection bid, partly due to opposition to then-President Trump.
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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).