Gov. Scott Walker says he’s getting hammered on television spending by out-of-state groups, and he needs cash now.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is headed to Wisconsin to campaign for the embattled Republican incumbent this week, but in the midst of a tough election battle, a visit isn’t enough.
Walker told reporters Monday that the combination of hostility from both national Democratic groups and labor unions puts him in the position of needing more money in the final week before the election, according to Politico.
“[Christie] is coming because he asked if he could come and we weren’t going to say no,” Walker said. “But we’re not looking for surrogates. The people that have been campaigning with me are by and large from Wisconsin.”
Television spending is where he needs the most help from national Republicans, Walker said.
So far, spending on his behalf by groups like the RGA “pales in comparison” to what the Democrats have done for his Democratic challenger, Mary Burke, he lamented.
The RGA is on track to spend $8 million dollars on Walker this year and $2 million alone in the final days before Nov. 4. The group spent $5.2 million on Walker’s first campaign for governor in 2010 and $9 million during his 2012 recall campaign, according to Politico.
Any amount of help is good, Walker eventually conceded, expressing hope that Christie comes to Wisconsin with more money to spend.
Christie has “come here before,” Walker said, and “I’m very happy he came.”
A RealClearPolitics average of polls has Walker ahead of Burke by just 0.2 points.
