Free Republic

Right to work. The elimination of wage control laws. Voter ID laws. Defunding Planned Parenthood. Expanding school choice. These are some of the No. 1 priorities for Republican legislators around the country. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has hit every item on this list, and he did so in a deep blue state; Wisconsin hasn’t gone red in a presidential election in more than 30 years, and its labor union culture may be second only to that of the automotive capital in neighboring Michigan. Walker’s uncompromising conservative governance made him Democrats' No. 1 target at both the state and national level,...

Sub head: Running as 'a fighter who can win' and implement 'commonsense conservative reforms.'Scott Walker isn’t big on self-reflection. He spent much of Sunday on a this-is-your-life tour of southeastern Wisconsin with an ABC News production team and World News Tonight anchor David Muir. Late in the afternoon, he signed the biennial budget for the state of Wisconsin, a final item on the to-do list he compiled last winter as he began exploring a bid for the presidency. Today, Walker will formally announce his candidacy for the White House. It’s pretty heady stuff, but Walker, who grew up the son...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is poised to win a huge victory on education as the state legislature passed a budget that repeals state tenure guarantees while also slashing the budget of the University of Wisconsin. The victory was enunciated by the acquiescence of the university, which recognized its defeat by passing a spending plan that implements Walker’s cuts. All that remains is for Walker to consummate his victory by affixing his signature to the budget. The two-year, $73 billion budget approved Thursday makes a host of changes Walker has sought in the realm of education. Wisconsin’s school voucher program is...

His megadonors are from Chicago. His brain trust is from Wisconsin. And Iowa is the campaign linchpin. When he formally announces his presidential bid in a Milwaukee suburb next week, Scott Walker’s campaign will have an unmistakably Midwestern stamp on it, from a stump speech that features giant Midwestern retailer Kohl’s to a primary season strategy pegged to Iowa and Michigan. The idea is to position the Wisconsin governor as the favorite son of the Midwest, where he hopes to run up the score beginning with Iowa next February. Walker has so far raised nearly $30 million for his effort,...