Walker’s Bad Week Gets Worse

Sabato’s Crystal Ball: ‘It’s been clear for a while that Walker is in a tough spot.’

It’s been a tough week to be Scott Walker.
Walker headed into primary night in the ‘worst polling position’ that he has ever been in going into a general election, and his prospects only seem to be getting worse from there.
Immediately following Tony Evers’ nomination on Tuesday, multiple national elections analysts moved the race in his favor. Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Washington Post’s The Fix, both see real trouble for Walker in November, as voters get more fed up with Walker’s record of education cuts and economic mismanagement. It looks like Wisconsin is ready to make a change in November.
Here’s a roundup of the coverage on Walker’s increasingly shaky reelection prospects:
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Democrats positioned to make gains on a map featuring lots of competition
Evers was probably the most credible candidate in a very crowded field, and polling has shown battle-tested but polarizing Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) in a perilous position…We were waiting to move this race to Toss-up until the primary, but it’s been clear for a while that Walker is in a tough spot. 
Washington Post’s The Fix: The top 10 governor’s races of 2018 heavily favor Democrats
Gov. Scott Walker (R) is attempting to do something few governors do successfully: Win a third term. Actually, this will be his fourth statewide election in eight years, since he also won a recall in 2012. Democrats in Wisconsin think this is the year to take out Walker. Tuesday’s primary, where Democrats nominated state school superintendent Tony Evers to take him on,showed signs of a Democratic electorate finally turning out in off-year elections. 
Wisconsin State Journal: 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.
New Yorker: Why Education May Be the Issue That Breaks Republicans’ Decade-Long Grip on Wisconsin
There are other signs that Wisconsin voters are growing tired of Republicans and their policies. Since he narrowly won the state in the 2016 Presidential election, Donald Trump’s approval rating in Wisconsin has fallen into the mid-thirties. The same Marquette poll that found strong support for education spending found that fifty-nine per cent of Wisconsin residents rate the state’s roads as fair or poor.
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.

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 Republicansturned 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

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