Scott Walker made it official today, breaking the news that he is a Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential race first in a Facebook post this morning before a formal announcement event in Wisconsin later today.
“I’m in. I’m running for President of the United States because Americans deserve a leader who will fight and win for them,” the two-term Wisconsin governor says in the Facebook post, along with a video that lays out his reasons for running.
“I am running for President to fight and win for the American people,” he says in the video. “Without sacrificing our principles, we won three elections in four years in a blue state. We did it by leading. Now, we need to do the same thing for America. It’s not too late to make our country great again. Join Our cause and help us fight and win for America.”
Walker, 47, joins a crowded field of Republican contenders vying for the presidency, bringing the tally of declared candidates to 15. But despite his late entry into the race, Walker is already considered the front-runner in Iowa, polling ahead of the rest of the GOP field in the all-important first-in-the nation caucus state where he made a strong first impression on likely caucus-goers earlier this year with a breakout speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit in January. The most recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Walker polling a solid 8 points ahead of his closest competitors with 18 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers favouring Walker, reports ABC News.
Despite his strong performance in Iowa, Walker has yet to emerge as a front-runner nationally. A recent CNN/ORC poll showed Jeb Bush polling ahead of the GOP field nationally, with 19 percent of likely voters.
The son of a Baptist preacher, Walker spent his early childhood in Plainfield, Iowa. At age 10, his family moved to Delavan, Wisconsin, and he has lived in the state ever since. In college, Walker attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he made an unsuccessful bid to become student government president in his junior year and went on to drop out before completing his senior year to take a full-time job with the Red Cross.
If elected, Walker would be the first president since Harry Truman — elected over 70 years ago — not to have a college degree.
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