Talk of Gov. Scott Walker running for re-election in 2018 circulated Tuesday after he said in an interview with a conservative website he was “strongly inclined” to pursue a third term.
Walker told Townhall.com that he is “strongly inclined to seek re-election,” though the governor has not officially announced his decision and said he will not publicly announce such a decision until next year.
Walker noted he thought keeping a Republican in office would benefit the state of Wisconsin.
“I think it also has a positive impact on people across the country if we can show other Republican governors and Republican lawmakers that even in a blue state like Wisconsin, we can get positive reforms done,” Walker said in the interview.
Walker said that if he is doing good work for the people of Wisconsin, he might as well continue his leadership.
“I love what I do. We get good things done,” Walker said. “[Republicans can] not only get elected, but see those reforms work for our people. I think that’s a good thing,” he added.
Despite Walker’s outlook, a third term re-election might not be as easy as it seems. According to the Marquette Law School Poll, Walker’s approval rating in February was 39 percent, with 55 percent disapproving. After the primary, among registered voters, 43 percent approved of how Walker was doing his job, while 53 percent disapproved.
David Canon, a political science professor at UW-Madison, believes Walker would not have an easy time winning a third-term seat, but noted that Republicans tend to do better in midterm elections.
“He will be a strong candidate no doubt, but it will be a tough race,” Canon said.
