Gov. Walker’s presidential announcement gets mixed reviews in La Crosse

Wis. governor officially announced his Republican presidential bid Monday

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Gov. Scott Walker has been a polarizing figure in Wisconsin and reaction in La Crosse to his candidacy for president proves opinions haven’t faded.

Whether people like it or not, governor has raised Wisconsin’s profile nationally, but the reasons behind the attention the state has been receiving lately have locals giving mixed reviews about future endeavors.

“I don’t really stand for what he is doing,” said one La Crosse teacher.

“I think he is doing a decent job. He seems to be a people person,” said another La Crosse resident.

Walker’s announcement that he is running for president of the United States has people talking in La Crosse.

“It’s just not the type of person I would be interested in having as president,” said a visitor to La Crosse.

“I think job numbers are doing better. The people I know in this area are working and have decent wages and things are going good, I just think he could do the same thing for the whole country,” said another La Crosse resident.

The chairman of La Crosse County’s Republican Party said putting Wisconsin back in the limelight is a good thing.

“I think it’s great for the state of Wisconsin because people get to hear about the reforms for our state,” said Bill Feehan. “Walker inherited a $3.6 billion deficit and the state was rated near the bottom in all business rankings. Today, we have balanced the budget without raising taxes, we have lowered taxes in the state and now we are rated at the top for business rankings.”

Democratic Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling said an extra pair of watchful eyes may be exactly what the Democrats need.

“It won’t just be Democratic-leaning folks who are critical of the governor but in the 15-person primary, there will be other Republicans critical of the governor’s actions,” said Shilling. “I think others will be critical about some of the job performance numbers in Wisconsin, as well as some of the deep cuts to education.”

But no matter what side of the aisle you are on, Walker is running for president and only time will tell how far he will get.

Now that Walker officially has his hat in the ring, some lawmakers are concerned about the time he will spend out of state campaigning. Shilling said she is worried it will be hard to get his attention when it comes to serious legislation. However, Feehan is confident the governor will be able to handle the job.

Walker is the 15th Republican to enter the race in hopes of winning the GOP presidential nomination.