For months, potential Republican contenders for the presidency have beaten a path from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina, laying the early groundwork for a 2016 bid.
Among them, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.
But not Scott Walker.
Walker, the Republican governor of Wisconsin, has had a more pressing race demanding his attention: his own re-election.
Just two years removed from a hard-fought recall election, Walker this time faced a career-threatening challenge from Democrat Mary Burke. As of mid-October, according to the Wall Street Journal, the race had run up a $17 million tab for television advertising alone. Meanwhile, public polls showed Walker with just a two-point lead over Burke on average heading into Election Day.
On Wednesday, Walker won the race by a comfortable margin.
In his victory speech, Walker did not back off from his conservative bona fides, stressing a measure of success guided “by how many people are no longer dependent on government.
“[We] believe the opportunity is equal, but the outcome is up to each and every one of us,” Walker said.
A presidential bid could incorporate those same themes, which have been Walker’s bread and butter. But should Walker decide to launch a bid, his strategic pivot will need to be swift and decisive.
“I think you’re going to see him and his team recharge their batteries until end of the year, and then come out of the gate strong after the first of year,” said Gregg Keller, a Republican operative who has worked on presidential campaigns. “Politically, he’ll have one of the strongest stories to tell.”
Although Walker would face an organizational disadvantage in the early primary states, such as New Hampshire and Iowa, where other Republicans have already begun to network, Walker would be in a solid position in terms of name recognition and brand I.D.
A recent Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll of potential Republican presidential candidates showed 4 percent of Iowans supporting Walker first among all others, a tie with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
And Walker is still well-regarded among many Republican donors, who freshly remember the union-busting persona he developed during his recall election.
“He’s still a hero for taking on and defeating unions,” said Hogan Gidley, former communications director for Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign, “which is a feather in his cap.”
A compelling political story that would have been relegated to the footnotes had Walker lost Tuesday.
