Contact: Austin Altenburg
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Governor highlights record of results and his vision for Wisconsin’s future
[Madison, Wis.] – Gov. Scott Walker today announced his forward-thinking campaign agenda to help Wisconsin win the 21st century, sharing his goal to make our state a place that future generations want to call home, just as his two boys have.
At the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s State Convention today, the governor rallied grassroots conservatives from across the state, talking about the many positive things our conservative reforms have accomplished for hard-working families. Gov. Walker highlighted the importance of protecting those reforms come November, emphasizing that if Democrats win on Election Day, all of our big, bold reforms will be gone. Under Gov. Walker’s leadership, Wisconsin is working and moving forward – now, the governor is laying out his big, bold plans to help Wisconsin keep moving forward.
You can watch Gov. Walker deliver his speech here or find his full speech below:
Freedom. Endowed by our Creator. Defined by our Constitution. Defended each and every day by the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of these United States of America. If you are a veteran or a service member, would you please stand up so we can properly recognize you. Thank you.
What a great crowd of Republicans.
Looking out at this audience this morning I see so many wonderful supporters. Thank you.
Thank you for supporting me and Tonette – as well as Matt and Alex. Thank you for supporting our amazing Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and our outstanding Attorney General Brad Schimel. Thank you for supporting Senator Ron Johnson and our entire delegation. Thank you!
And thank you for supporting our candidates for United States Senate. While there are not as many Republicans running for the Senate as there are Democrats running for governor, I will gladly take quality over quantity.
And speaking of candidates, have you heard the Democrats running for governor? Not only are they moving further and further to the left, but their rhetoric is increasingly filled with anger and hatred.
Sadly, the left seems consumed with anger and hatred. They’re angry at me. They’re angry at the President. They are angry at all of you. They are angry with just about anyone who dares to agree with Republicans.
Unfortunately, anger and hatred are pretty powerful motivators.
We need to counter that anger and hatred. But not with more of the same. We need to counter it with optimism and organization.
Think about this: More people are employed than ever before, unemployment is at an all-time low, we cut taxes by $8 billion through the end of this budget yet we still have enough money to make the largest actual dollar investment in schools ever, we froze UW tuition six years in a row, our healthcare systems rank number 1 in the nation for quality and we helped 25,000 people transition from welfare into the workforce.
Wisconsin is Working.
We have a great story to tell the voters.
But the special election in January and the Supreme Court election in April were – without a doubt – Wake Up Calls. You see, we can’t assume that our friends and neighbors know about the positive things we are doing for the people of Wisconsin. We have to tell them.
We need to get organized and share that message with voters all over the state. We need to tell the good news to family and friends and neighbors – we need to tell it at work and at worship and at school.
And yes, we need to remind some of our Republican voters too. As I travel the state, I hear plenty of people tell me that they are upset with Washington. Heck, I’m upset with some of the Republicans in Washington.
So let me be clear: President Trump has a great team that is moving America forward. The members of the House have passed things like Repeal and Replace. But the U.S. Senate seems to be the problem.
This is why we need to send Tammy Baldwin to the private sector – and send Ron Johnson a true conservative ally in the United States Senate.
If you’re upset with the federal government, we have an answer. You see, in Wisconsin, we offer the cure to what ails us in Washington.
In Wisconsin, we make big, bold promises and then we keep them. We’ve shown the world that common-sense, conservative reforms work.
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But that could all go away in one election. If a Democrat is elected as governor, we will also likely lose the majorities in the State Legislature. If that happens, all of the positive reforms we worked so hard for could be gone!
Record-low unemployment? Gone.
Lower property taxes on working families and senior citizens? Gone.
Balanced budgets? Gone.
Record actual dollar investments in schools? Gone.
UW Tuition Freeze? Gone.
Photo ID to vote? Gone.
Lower taxes on small businesses? Gone.
Protection for the unborn and elderly? Gone.
Ability to protect yourself and your family? Gone.
Lower taxes on farmers and manufacturers? Gone.
Relief from high healthcare premiums under Obamacare? Gone.
Right to choose if you want to be in a union or not? Gone.
Collective bargaining reforms in Act 10 that saved schools and local governments billions of dollars? Gone.
The child tax rebate for working parents and grandparents? Gone.
Requirements for able-bodied adults to work and be able to pass a drug test to get welfare assistance? Gone.
Foxconn’s 13,000 good-paying, family-supporting jobs – and with it – the likelihood that any other employers would ever come or expand in Wisconsin? Gone.
All of these reforms could very well be gone after the next election.
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The far Left knows what is at stake. That’s why Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder is here laying the groundwork for the fall elections. It’s why liberal billionaires Tom Steyer and George Soros are focused on Wisconsin. It’s why the big government union bosses and the Washington-based liberal special interest groups have made us – yet again – one of the top targets in America.
They know what’s at stake in this election.
We need to wake up.
This election is going to be tougher than any we’ve faced so far – and the consequences are greater than ever.
We don’t want to go back to the days of double-digit tax increases, billion-dollar budget deficits and record job loss. That’s what it was like when Democrats last controlled state government.
They cut millions from schools and local governments. Property taxes and UW tuition went up. And they raided the transportation fund.
Putting Democrats back in charge of state government would undo our common-sense conservative reforms. We don’t want to go backward. We want to keep moving Wisconsin forward.
While the liberals will tell you what they are against, we will tell you what we are for – and then, we’ll do it.
So today, I am excited to lay out the foundation of our plan for the next four years. We call it Wisconsin Wins the 21st Century.
We want Wisconsin to be one of the best states in America for millennials AND for retirees. You may not know this, but we’re already ranked as the 6th best state for millennials – according to the personal finance website WalletHub. And AARP reported that WalletHub ranks us at the 12th best state for retirees. Looking ahead, we can do even better over the next four years.
We want our high school graduation rate to be one of the best in the nation with our students truly ready for college and career. And with unemployment levels at historic lows, we want Wisconsin to have one of the highest percentages of people in the workforce of any state in the nation.
We want Wisconsin to have some of the best health care systems in the country for quality. Along with that, we want to have one of the greatest reductions in opioid and illegal drug addiction of any state.
We want Wisconsin’s working families to be able to keep more of their take-home pay. To do that, we want to have one of the largest reductions in the tax burden for working families of any state in the nation.
Bottom line: We want to help the people of Wisconsin win the 21st Century.
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And winning in the 21st century starts at home.
Looking around this room, many of you have watched Matt and Alex grow up over the years at events like this convention. Matt went to Marquette University and Alex to the University of Wisconsin. Both briefly worked out-of-state after they graduated from college.
As parents, Tonette and I are proud that today, they are living and working here in Wisconsin. Now, I don’t want them living in my house… I don’t want them living in the basement – but we’re glad that they are here.
For many of us moms and dads, our American Dream is not about owning a company or a house, it’s seeing our children do well and – ideally – living close to home. That’s why Tonette and I are thrilled that our sons live close to us.
And speaking of parents, my mother and father Pat and Llew Walker are here this weekend too.
Over the years, they helped watch Matt and Alex when they were young. Since then, they moved closer to my brother David’s family to help with my nieces. Dad gets around in a wheelchair, but he’s quick with a prayer or even a joke. Mom overcame breast cancer and she still makes unbelievably good chocolate chip cookies for volunteers all over the state.
My brother David is a banquet manager and my sister-in-law Maria sells appliances and helps look out for her mother whose health is failing. They have two beautiful daughters – Isabella finishes 8th grade and Eva 5th grade next month.
Our family is like so many families across Wisconsin. It’s a balancing act to get the kids through school and help them start out on careers close to home – while also watching our parents age and trying to help them along the way.
As parents, Tonette and I want Matt and Alex to have opportunities to grow their careers and someday start a family here in Wisconsin. We want that for all of our millennials here and those who we hope to attract here to Wisconsin.
As an uncle, I want my nieces who go to public schools (just like Matt and Alex did before them) to have access to a great education that gets them ready for their futures. We want that for all of our children and grandchildren in this state.
As a sibling, I want working families like my brother’s to keep more of their hard-earned dollars and live their piece of the American Dream right here in Wisconsin.
As a son, I want my parents to have access to quality healthcare and to be close to their family and friends. We want this for all of our seniors and we want Wisconsin to be a great place to retire.
As a friend, I want all of the families we know – and all the others like them – to never have to deal with the devastation of addiction, and we want to help those who are already struggling.
As a worker, I want to ensure that everyone who is able to work in our state is expected to be employed so they are able to pursue a career to support themselves and their families. Public assistance should be more like a trampoline and less like a hammock.
The bottom-line is that we want to help you – the people of Wisconsin – Win the 21st Century.
To do that, I need your support – and I need it today.
We are going to have to work harder than ever before. As I mentioned, the far Left is motivated by anger and hatred. We need to counter it with optimism and organization.
Circulating nomination papers for me and Rebecca Kleefisch through June 1st is a great way to start.
And then we need your help on the doors, on the phones, at work, at worship, at school – wherever there are potential voters gathered – we need your help getting our positive record and optimistic vision out to the voters.
This is going to be a very tough election – probably our toughest ever, but I know that we can win because we have won before. We will win because we have an optimistic story to tell about our work – and a positive plan for the next four years. Even though the Left is motivated by anger and hatred – and even though tens of millions of dollars from special interest groups in Washington are set to attack us – I know that we can prevail…. We must prevail…. We shall prevail.
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As I think about this, my inspiration comes from you.
You see, one of my great joys as your governor is traveling the state and visiting with so many of our wonderful citizens. I love to see the people of Wisconsin.
Through our visits, I see how proud you are of your families; of your homes; of your work; of your small businesses and farms; of your schools; of your churches and places of worship; of your communities; of your state.
We are Wisconsin Proud.
Today, I want you to know that I am proud to be your governor. I’m proud of the work we’ve done here. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made together. I am proud that we are getting positive things done for the people of Wisconsin. But we’re not done yet.
So, let’s get going. Let’s keep moving Wisconsin forward. Let’s help the people of Wisconsin Win the 21st Century!
Thank you. May God bless you. May God bless the great State of Wisconsin. May God bless our great service members here and around the world. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.
