He insists he’s not running for president, but Governor Scott Walker will be in Iowa Thursday at an event that’s seen appearances by previous Republican presidential hopefuls. Walker will be featured – along with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad – at the annual Spring Dinner hosted by the Polk County Republican Party.
And while Walker has steered clear of any presidential speculation, event organizer Cam Sutton isn’t shy about his feelings. “Just speaking for myself and I guess speaking for a lot of other people in Iowa, we all think he would be a great conservative leader in Washington,” Sutton said. “The last real conservative we had was Ronald Reagan, and a lot of what Governor Walker talks about and does mirrors what Ronald Reagan did. So we would not be unhappy if he decides to throw his hat in the ring.”
Sutton said Walker will be in Iowa because Branstand is holding a fundraiser for him, and he agreed to attend the Polk County GOP event in West Des Moines afterwards. He doesn’t expect Walker will face any tough questions from fellow Republicans in West Des Moines – and he has a somewhat opaque view of Walker’s situation in Wisconsin. “My understanding is that Governor Walker’s done quite well with regards to creating jobs,” he said. “I think his promise was 250,000 or something like that when he took office. And I’m not sure where he’s at in the process, but I think he’s prevented a lot of jobs from leaving the state.”
Speculation about Walker’s presidential aspirations has intensified recently with Walker on the road. The governor was in Connecticut Monday night, addressing Republicans there on his efforts to remake government and take on public employee unions.
Republican presidential hopefuls have spoken at the dinner in the past, including 2012 GOP presidential prospects Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann.