Scott Walker Says He’s ‘Ready’ For A Third Term

Gov. Scott Walker plans to tell Republicans this weekend he’s ready to run for re-election next year.

Walker has been indicating for months he’ll seek a third term in 2018.

Excerpts released Friday of his Wisconsin Republican Party convention speech show he’s going to tell party insiders on Saturday that he sees no reason not to.

Walker says in the speech excerpts, “Why wouldn’t I run for re-election?”

Walker spoke to reporters at the Conservation Congress’ annual meeting in Oshkosh on Friday. There, he touted his record on education, taxes, business development and access to health care in Wisconsin.

“With all of these good things happening in the state it makes a pretty good case for someone to run for re-election,” Walker said Friday.

The governor said he wants to build off of what he sees as his successes, but added he won’t announce anything this weekend. “Right now, one of the things I’m going to talk about tomorrow at the convention is that I’m ready. I’m ready, and I’m more optimistic about the future of this state than I’ve been at any other point during my tenure as your governor.”

When said he won’t “formally announce” until the state budget is passed, which he says should happen by late June or early July.

Walker is set to tout recent Republican successes, including the highest Republican majorities in the Senate and Assembly in decades, last year’s re-election of Sen. Ron Johnson and President Donald Trump’s victory.

Democratic Party spokesman Brandon Weathersby predicted in a statement that Walker won’t win another term due to “a sputtering state economy” and deteriorating infrastructure.

In a statement released Friday, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning claimed Walker’s time as governor as led to a shrinking middle class in Wisconsin.

“In 2010, Wisconsin gave Walker and Republicans a chance to make their lives better, and haven’t,” Laning said in the statement. “In 2018, we will have a choice to make: stick to the status quo of pitting the ultra rich against the rest of us, or vote for real change in the way we operate our government.”

As of right now, there’s only one Democrat committed to running for governor. Recent Stanford University graduate Bob Harlow, 25, said in March he will run for governor in 2018.

The state Republican Party Convention is underway in Wisconsin Dells this weekend. Walker is scheduled to speak Saturday, along with House Speaker Paul Ryan.