Governor Scott Walker is defending his decision to attend a conservative student summit in Florida. Democrats have criticized the Republican governor for attending Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit this week.
In Appleton on Monday, Walker said he was invited by students from Wisconsin. “A bunch of them I met at campuses across the state of Wisconsin, they asked me to come,” he said. Other invited speakers include controversial former Trump administration officials Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka and media provocateur James O’Keefe.
“The fact that Governor Walker would want to share the stage with these individuals I think is disturbing, to say the least,” said state Representative Jimmy Anderson. The Dane County Democrat on Monday issued a statement critical of the governor. Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning also criticized the governor in a press release issued last month.
Asked whether Turning Point USA is a white nationalist group, Walker said “no.” Turning Point USA describes itself as a youth organization for fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government.
Walker is the only current elected official on the speakers list. “I’m going to talk about things I’ve talked about before, about what the state of Wisconsin is doing and how proud we are of it.” He’s scheduled to attend on Wednesday.