What They’re Saying: Walker Weak Going into General

Walker’s “Numbers Are Underwater for the First Time Heading into an Election”

Most general election campaigns start with a sense of optimism and excitement. Not if you’re Scott Walker.
Political analysts have noted that Walker is stuck in his ‘worst polling position’ since he was elected and ‘could be gone’ by November.  Walker is in trouble heading into the general election and everyone knows it.
Here’s a roundup of the coverage on Walker’s gloomy reelection prospects:
PBS NewsHour: Scott Walker is Wisconsin’s GOP choice as Midwest tests Trump appeal
Once a target of Trump criticism, Walker gained the president’s endorsement in a tweet Monday night calling him “a tremendous Governor who has done incredible things for that Great State.” But Trump’s persistent attacks on Wisconsin-based motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson put Republican candidates on their heels in recent days, Walker among them.
“There’s a lot of disgust at what’s going on at the top level moving down,” said Madison voter Conor McGuire, 49, who described himself as a frustrated Republican but voted for Democrat Evers.
Initially a Walker supporter, McGuire said he’s disgusted by Walker’s embrace of Trump.
 
NPR: A Big Night For Democratic Diversity, And 3 Other Primary Takeaways

3. Education has emerged as a big theme in 2018

In addition to Hayes, a former national teacher of the year, winning in Connecticut, Wisconsin Democrats nominated the state schools superintendent, Tony Evers, to square off against Scott Walker for governor.
The irony of Evers potentially winning in November against Walker is rich. Walker has been public enemy No. 1 for teachers and teachers unions because of how he targeted public-sector unions.
 
Madison.com: It’s Tony Evers: State schools superintendent to challenge Scott Walker in November
Former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, the longest-serving governor in state history who won a third term in 1994 with 67 percent of the vote, said the election will be Walker’s toughest yet — “even tougher than his recall.”
Thompson agreed with Walker’s recent assessment that the governor could be trailing in the first polls that come out after the primary. He said the race will be close because many people in Wisconsin like giving the other side a chance after eight years, the tea leaves point to a Democratic year and Walker has made many tough decisions that aren’t universally loved.
 
CNN:
 

CNN: Looking at the issue in Wisconsin when it comes to Harley-Davidson, a huge employer in Milwaukee, Scott Walker, the Republican governor there is being trounced on by Democrats who are saying he is not standing up for the workers, he is backing the President at any cost in this ongoing tariff feud. He tweeted about it yesterday and said, I want Harley-Davidson to prosper in the state of Wisconsin…so do what is best what the President has called for and that is no tariffs as soon as possible. Could this backfire?
Enten: What a balancing act they’re trying — they don’t want to alienate the Trump base while recognizing swing voters are on the side of Harley-Davidson. Scott Walker certainly has, in my opinion, the toughest re-election campaign ahead of him. He’s in the worst polling position he has been since he was elected.
CNN: Why?
Enten: I think number one, Trump is unpopular, which is a big play. Running for a third term is very, very difficult. I think it’s all just coming together for Scott Walker in a way with democratic enthusiasm that he could be gone come November
 
TPM: Scott Walker Faces The Toughest Gubernatorial Race Of His Career
Walker’s popularity isn’t what it once was — public polls show he’s never fully recovered from his aborted presidential run, and the polarizing figure’s numbers are underwater for the first time heading into an election. President Trump, who barely carried the state in 2016 and has started trade wars that are hurting some major local industries, isn’t helping him any.
One more major warning sign for Walker came Tuesday night, when roughly 100,000 more Democrats turned to vote in the state’s crowded gubernatorial primary than Republicans turned out for their own hard-fought Senate primary — even though the Senate race saw significantly more ad spending.
 
You can read more on Walker’s vulnerability HERE