Walker Says Roy Moore Loss In Alabama Doesn’t Signal Trouble For Re-Election Bid

Gov. Scott Walker said the Republican defeat in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race this week doesn’t have any implications for his own re-election bid next November.

Walker was at Hawthorne Aviation in Eau Claire speaking to supporters about property tax relief on Wednesday afternoon when he was asked what Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore’s loss meant for his campaign.

“I don’t think it means a thing,” said Walker. “I mean, the bottom line is different circumstances, different state. People will judge us here in the state on whether or not we’ve got a plan to move the state forward or go backwards.”

Walker pointed to a series of balanced budgets, a lowered property tax burden and more investments in the state’s public schools in the current budget than ever before, as proof of his success in office.

When asked about whether it was wrong for the Republican National Committee to support Moore even after allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls, Walker sidestepped.

“Well, I certainly didn’t, and I thought there were viable alternatives out there, and again, for us here in Wisconsin, we’re going to focus on our positive message,” said Walker. “We’ve got a great track record to run on. We’ve got a great plan to keep things going forward.”

Political pundits are discussing what role President Donald Trump’s support for Moore played in the first Democratic Party Senate seat win for Alabama in 25 years. Back in Eau Claire, Walker was asked whether he thinks standing by Trump will be a political liability for him in next year’s gubernatorial election.

“I think the voters in the state are going to make a decision about the president in 2020,” said Walker. “In 2018, they’re going to make a decision about who the governor should be for the next four years and they’re going to measure that by who’s best to go forward on that and I think we’ve got a compelling case compared to any, even if there’s 100 Democrats running, which (there) could very well be.”

The Democratic field running to take on Walker has swelled this year. Currently, there are eight major party candidates that have announced runs, including state schools Superintendent Tony Evers, former state Democratic Party Chair Matt Flynn, Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik, Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin President Mahlon Mitchell, activist Mike McCabe, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, and state Rep. Dana Wachs. In total 20, Democrats have filed paperwork required to run.