With Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's recent gubernatorial candidacy announcement, candidates from both parties face pressure to begin solidifying their political and economic platforms.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a Republican, and Barrett, a Democrat, have stepped up as two of the most serious gubernatorial candidates thus far.
Although both Walker and Barrett serve as high-ranking officials in Milwaukee, the candidates' past economic policies in Milwaukee and preliminary economic platforms for Wisconsin differ.
Both candidates acknowledge high rates of job loss and unemployment as major setbacks for the state. Jeff Fleming, Barrett's spokesperson, said job creation is a main component of Barrett's economic platform.
""Mayor Barrett will coordinate public-and-private-sector efforts to bring new jobs to the state. He will design specific strategies that capitalize on Wisconsin's strengths, including natural resources, a strong workforce, a top-notch high education system and clusters of specialized industry that give our state an advantage,"" he said.
While Walker agrees with Barrett on the source of the economic problems, his ideas for improving the economy contrast.
""If we are to compete for jobs in the global economy, we must lower the tax burden, focus on education and find ways to do more with less—just like families and small businesses are doing every day,"" he said in a statement.
Both candidates tout ""economic successes"" in Milwaukee as examples of what they could do for Wisconsin's economy as a whole.
Continuous debate surrounds whether Walker or Barrett is responsible for potential improvements in Milwaukee's economy. Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor, said that each will likely try to take the credit for the good in Milwaukee and pawn the bad onto their opponent. Franklin said these claims are to be expected.
Laura Dresser, research director at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, said Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole will likely see continued stagnation in jobs in the coming months.
""Milwaukee generates very high levels of racial inequalities, and job losses have been significant and the unemployment increases have been significant,"" Dresser said.
As Wisconsin's largest city, setbacks in Milwaukee bring large problems for the state as a whole.
Since both Walker and Barrett have only had a few months, or in Barrett's case, a few weeks, to establish their viewpoints, there is still much to be heard.
""In the next few months it will be very interesting to watch how they add breadth and depth to their campaign. We've still got a long way to go in how they will answer to a much broader range of questions,"" Franklin said.
