Mitch Perry
Strange as it may sound, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been overshadowed in the media during the past month, despite continuing to lead everyone in Iowa and coming in second in most New Hampshire polls and nationwide.
He certainly made news Tuesday, though, when he suggested on Laura Ingraham‘s nationally syndicated radio program that if he gets into the race, he’s likely to stay away from the Sunshine State, home to two of his toughest challengers for the Republican nomination for president.
“If we choose to get in, I don’t think there’s a state out there we wouldn’t play in, other than maybe Florida, where Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are,” Walker said.
“Some of the polls essentially (are) tied and they’re going to eat up a good amount of that financial advantage that Gov. Bush is going to have,” he said, adding that Rick Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign cost nearly $100 million. “A good chunk of that will be going up to the Florida primary.”
The Florida Primary is scheduled for March 15, 2016, the earliest it can held without incurring serious penalties from the Republican National Committee. The first four presidential contests are scheduled for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Walker is extremely competitive in all of four of those states, according to a compendium of polls assembled by Real Clear Politics.
“And I think our message — common sense conservative forum, if we were to get into the election, could play just about anywhere out there, and I think that if we also ended up being a candidate, we’d be focused on the caucus in Iowa, and the primaries in places like New Hampshire and South Carolina and all down the line,” he told Ingraham.
Walker is slated to be among the Republican presidential contenders speaking at a forum convened by Scott next Tuesday in Orlando.
