November 8, 2017 at 4:08 p.m.
Walker makes Rhinelander stop in re-election tour
Incumbent seeks to become only second three-term governor
Walker makes Rhinelander stop in re-election tour
The incumbent Republican announced his re-election plans over the weekend and then embarked on a three-day tour of the state looking to fire up the party faithful. The tour made its way to Rhinelander Monday afternoon.
Addressing a large crowd inside the cavernous CrossTrac Equipment Company shop, Walker spoke of how his leadership has moved Wisconsin forward in his first two terms.
"I'm here to tell you the reason that I am running for governor is that I believe in you," Walker said. "I believe in the people of Wisconsin, and I believe there is more work to be done in the future, and most importantly, I believe that our best days are yet to come. With your help, we're going to continue to move Wisconsin forward."
Brad Courtney, Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman, kicked off the event with a speech focusing on the need for an effective ground game leading up to next year's election.
"We in Wisconsin have had a lot of victories in the last couple cycles. The reason why? Great candidates with great messages and vision, but also, we have a tremendous ground game. And I want to thank everybody for what you've done the last 6 1/2 years getting Governor Walker elected three times in four years," Courtney said. "But I want to tell you that the stakes are high and we need to do this again, we need people to volunteer, we need people to knock on doors. And just as importantly, tell all your friends and neighbors and even your family members how great this governor is because the other side, they're angry, they're organized and they're upset and with one bad election they can do away with all the good reforms our team has done."
Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch thanked those in attendance for the work done in previous campaigns and spoke about how important their efforts will be in the next year.
"You are the team that assures that we can continue to move Wisconsin forward. You are the ones who put us here in these jobs, and we have been able to enjoy the type of prosperity that you ordered for the last seven years. I don't know about you, but I think what we order is four more years of this type of prosperity," Kleefisch said. "Four more years of really good decisions, four more years of making sure that your hopes, your dreams are on the top of the bill. And that is exactly what your governor needs to do."
Walker started his stump speech by touching on the various ways he believes his administration has moved the state forward.
"When I think about this state, I am so thrilled that we got more people employed in the state of Wisconsin then we've ever had in the history of this state," Walker said. "We are moving Wisconsin forward. Our students have some of the highest graduation rates in the nation and some of the best ACT scores in the country."
He pointed to the help of state representative Rob Swearingen and state senator Tom Tiffany and the rest of the Republican-led legislature in being able to increase school funding in the recently passed 2017-19 state budget. We have invested more actual dollars into K-12 education than ever before in our state's history," Walker said. "So for our children, for our students, we are moving Wisconsin forward."
He also touted the tax reform and tax relief that he and the legislature have enacted since he took office in 2011, which he says has had an $8 billion cumulative impact.
"That means, by 2018, your property taxes and your income taxes will be lower than at the end of 2010 before we took office," Walker said. "We're actually at a point where we are cutting and eliminating taxes across the board, and we're going to keep doing it as we go forward, so that for the first time in about a generation we have a local and state tax payment that is lower than the national average, here in the state of Wisconsin. I never would have thought that was going to be true. Some 20 years ago, we were in the top five, then the top 10 and now we're below the average for taxpayers."
He also noted that tuition has been frozen for six years at the University of Wisconsin system.
"We have made college more affordable for our students and the working families that support them," Walker said.
The governor also pointed to the gains made in the health care system since he took office.
"I am proud to say that we're the number one state in the nation for the quality of our health care system," he said. "We're one of the best states in the country when it comes to access to health care for our citizens."
Walker said he is looking to continue the welfare reforms started by the only other man elected to serve 12 years as the state's chief executive.
"My friend Tommy Thompson led not just Wisconsin but the nation more than 20 years ago when it came to welfare reform, we're picking up right where he left off," Walker said. "We're not only requiring people on public assistance who are able to be working to get public assistance, but now with the help of the legislature and our friends in the federal government, we're going to ask them to take a step beyond that. We're going to say if you want public assistance, not only do you need to be working, you've got to be able to pass a drug test before you get public assistance."
He pointed to a ranking in Chief Executive magazine of the best and worst states for business and claimed he has improved Wisconsin's standing.
"Back in 2010 when I was first running to be your governor, we ranked in the bottom 10, as we had for years before that," Walker said. "The bottom 10 states for business! I'm proud to tell you that Wisconsin this year, for the first time in the history of that ranking ranks as a top 10 state for business."
He told the crowd that he "has never been more optimistic for the future of the state" then right now. With your help, we're going to keep moving Wisconsin forward, there is no doubt about it," he said.
With that, Walker asked those in attendance to help him and Kleefisch win four more years in office to keep moving the state forward.
"I'm simply here today to ask for your vote a year from today, on Nov. 6, 2018, I need your vote," he said. "I need the vote of not just of you here, not just of Republicans but of Independents, of discerning Democrats, but anybody else in the state, no matter where you live, no matter what part of the state you're from. We need you vote to move this state forward. We need not only your vote, but between now and then I need your help, I need your support, but most of all, I need your prayers."
Walker said he and his running mate are aware that this is going to be a tough election.
"We know the challenges we face, which might seem a little remarkable when you look at our record," he said. "We're heading the state in the right direction, you'd think our re-election would be a slam dunk, but let me tell you, between now and next year, we're going to face a tough election, and here's why. The big government special interests in Washington, they don't like that we took the power out of their hands and put it in your hands, the hands of the hard working taxpayers. Because, given a choice, I will choose the hard working taxpayers over and over and over again."
Because the special interests don't like politicians who take them on, they will spend millions in the race for the Wisconsin statehouse, he claimed.
"One of the groups out there has professed publicly that they will raise close to half a billion dollars to go after me and 12 other governors across this country because they want to change the way things are," Walker said. "They want to take the power back and put it in their hands. They are going to spend millions, dare I say tens of millions of dollars on attack ads between now and next November."
He said the best way to counter this influx of money is to recruit a grassroots army of volunteer advocates to campaign on his behalf from neighborhood to neighborhood, block to block. In all 72 counties across the state, there are volunteer leaders waiting for people to join them in getting the word out, he said.
According to the Associated Press, there is no clear front-runner to face Walker in 2018. However, at least a dozen Democrats, including the state superintendent of schools, two state lawmakers, former office holders, political activists and newcomers have said they are running or a considering a campaign.
About a dozen protestors were present at the Walker kick-off event in Rhinelander. They held signs calling the governor "Low Wage Walker" for his efforts to aid big business and failure to create living wage jobs.
They were asked to move off the private road leading to the facility by state police before the governor's motorcade arrived.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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