Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for president in his state’s April 5 primary, he announced Tuesday.
“After eight years of the failed Obama-Clinton Administration, Americans are looking for real leadership and a new direction,” Walker said in a statement. “Ted Cruz is a principled constitutional conservative who understands that power belongs to the states – and to the people – and not bureaucrats in Washington. Just like we did in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz is not afraid to challenge the status quo and to stand up against the big government special interests. He is the best-positioned candidate to both win the Republican nomination and defeat Hillary Clinton. That’s why I endorse Ted Cruz for President of the United States.”
The governor ended his presidential campaign more than six months ago and urged his fellow Republican candidates to do the same. Walker expressed a desire to persuade the field to consolidate against Donald Trump, but such organization never happened.
Data curated by InsideGov
Walker told 620 WTMJ in Wisconsin that he decided to make the endorsement not because he was against someone or something, but because he believed in Cruz’s candidacy.
“I’m all in, this is not a default,” Walker said. “If you look at the facts, you’ve got an excellent tax plan. In fact, a number of people who worked for me in the past [on] defense and military issues have been working with him. He’s got a strong firm plan like Reagan did to rebuild our military at a time when we desperately need to show power in the world again.”
Walker’s support as a successful GOP governor in an otherwise blue state may swing some fence-sitters who have yet to make a decision. Walker won three gubernatorial elections in four years — including a recall — and could help the senator navigate the Republican primary. He told 620 WTMJ that he plans to hit the trail with Cruz across the state in the coming days before the primary.
Cruz, for his part, appears to have adopted some of Walker’s style. The senator has emphasized that the 2016 race for the White House will come down to three things: jobs, freedom, and security. Walker similarly emphasized the issues of growth, reform, and safety during his short-lived bid on the trail in Iowa.
While Walker’s approval numbers have hovered below 40 percent statewide in polling after his exit from the 2016 race, his rating among Republicans is 85 percent, according to a Marquette University Law School poll taken last month. And his actions still attract attention from conservatives across the country.
With one week remaining until Wisconsinites vote — and fewer than four months remaining until this summer’s convention — Walker’s decision comes at a crucial time.
The Wisconsin primary has become ground zero in efforts to block Trump from securing the party’s nomination before the convention, and remains one of Cruz’s most favorable states of those remaining on the primary calendar. On the other hand, if Trump wins, it would smooth his path to winning a majority of delegates outright.
In recent media appearances, Walker had hinted that he would support Cruz. Walker also suggested he would welcome an open convention in July.
Asked about a contested convention on Tuesday, Walker insisted that Cruz’s coming victory in Wisconsin would set him well on his way to earning the delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination this summer.
