Former Gov. Scott Walker endorsed his 25-year-old son, Matt Walker, as a potential candidate for Wisconsin’s 5th congressional district seat.
The announcement was made on Adrienne Pedersen's show UPFRONT Friday, where Walker compared Matt to freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY.
“I think in particular what intrigues him is he feels frustrated that AOC somehow nationally is reflective of his generation,” Walker said. “He’s 25 and he feels there needs to be a counter-voice to that.”
Walker’s son is a partner and co-founder of Platform Digital, a marketing company in Milwaukee, where he lives. The Marquette University graduate has never held a political position before and in pursuing this seat in Congress, he will have to move into the 5th district.
He took to Facebook to address the buzz surrounding his father’s endorsement on Sept. 7, speaking about his position as a 21st-century Republican.
“Regardless of whether I launch a campaign in this race, our conservative movement needs a counterweight to the growing far left's stumble towards ‘Democratic’ socialism,” Walker wrote. “My rising generation has an opportunity to catapult our country forward or be the net that holds us back. We must move forward.”
The seat is currently held by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-WI, who recently announced that he will not be running for re-election. He has served the district since 2003.
Other prospective candidates for the position include Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and former state senator, Leah Vukmir, who ran against Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, in the 2018 midterm election.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin immediately began organizing against Walker, sending an email seeking resources to fight against “another Walker” in office in Wisconsin.
