ZAC SCHULTZ:

THE SUPREME COURT DECISION ENDED A BIG WEEK FOR GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER. IT SEEMS FITTING THE JOHN DOE CASE STEMMED FROM WALKER’S RECALL ELECTION, SINCE THAT’S THE MOMENT THAT JUMP-STARTED HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS.

TONETTE WALKER:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE 45TH GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN AND THE PERSON THAT I HOPE WILL BE THE 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, SCOTT WALKER! [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

ZAC SCHULTZ:

GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER DIDN’T SURPRISE ANYONE MONDAY BY ANNOUNCING HE’S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. EVERYBODY KNEW THAT.

SCOTT WALKER:

I LOVE AMERICA. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WHAT WAS MORE INTERESTING IS HOW AND WHERE HE ANNOUNCED AND WHAT THAT SAYS ABOUT HIS CAMPAIGN.

SCOTT WALKER:

SINCE I’VE BEEN GOVERNOR, WE TOOK ON THE UNIONS AND WE WON! [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WHEN GOVERNOR WALKER WON A SECOND TERM LAST FALL, IT WAS APPARENT DURING HIS VICTORY SPEECH HE WAS SPEAKING TO AN AUDIENCE OUTSIDE THE STATE.

SCOTT WALKER:

FIRST OFF, I WANT TO THANK GOD. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

ZAC SCHULTZ:

BUT IT WAS CLEAR MONDAY THE ELECTION THAT REALLY PUT HIM IN POSITION TO BE A LEGITIMATE CONTENDER FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION WAS THE RECALL WIN IN 2012. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WALKER’S ANNOUNCEMENT COMES THREE YEARS AFTER HE BECAME THE FIRST GOVERNOR IN AMERICAN HISTORY TO SURVIVE A RECALL. THE PARALLELS ARE OBVIOUS. MONDAY’S EVENT WAS HELD AT THE WAUKESHA COUNTY EXPO HALL, THE SAME PLACE HE HELD HIS RALLY ON RECALL NIGHT. AND SPEAKERS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING WOULDN’T LET THE CROWD FORGET.

REBECCA KLEEFISCH:

DO YOU REMEMBER THAT TIME ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE ALL HERE IN THIS ROOM TOGETHER?

SINGER:

“ONLY IN AMERICA” (SINGING)

ZAC SCHULTZ:

HE EVEN USED THE SAME MUSIC TO EXIT THE STAGE, A COUNTRY SONG CALLED “ONLY IN AMERICA,” WHICH CONTAINS LYRICS ABOUT AN AVERAGE KID GROWING UP TO BE PRESIDENT.

SINGER:

“WONDERS MIGHT BE PRESIDENT.” (SINGING)

ZAC SCHULTZ:

BUT BEYOND LYRICS AND LOCATION, WALKER’S CREDENTIALS FOR PRESIDENT REST ON HIS RECORD AS GOVERNOR AND HIS BATTLES WITH THE UNIONS. ALL OF WHICH LEAD TO HIM WINNING THE RECALL.

SCOTT WALKER:

MY RECORD SHOWS THAT I KNOW HOW TO FIGHT AND WIN. NOW MORE THAN EVER, AMERICA NEEDS A PRESIDENT WHO WILL FIGHT AND WIN FOR AMERICA! [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

ZAC SCHULTZ:

GOVERNOR WALKER SPENT THE WEEK BARNSTORMING THE EARLY PRIMARY STATES. FIRST IN NEVADA, THEN TO GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA AND UP TO NEW HAMPSHIRE AND FINALLY TRAVELING BACK WEST TO THE STATE HE’S VISITED THE MOST, IOWA. HE ARRIVED THERE THIS MORNING AND PLANS TO SPEND THE WEEKEND TOURING THE HAWKEYE STATE IN A CAMPAIGN WINNEBAGO. O. KAY HENDERSON, NEWS DIRECTOR OF RADIO IOWA, JOINS US NOW FROM DES MOINES. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. MOST NATIONAL OBSERVERS SAY WINNING IOWA IS THE KEY TO SCOTT WALKER’S HOPES FOR WINNING THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION. IS THAT THE SENSE YOU GET FROM HIS CAMPAIGN ON THE GROUND?

KAY HENDERSON:

IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE 1-0 AFTER HAVING THE FIRST CONTACTS IN THE PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION PROCESS. HE’S A NEIGHBOR. HE’S WELL-KNOWN HERE. HE HAS NOT SPENT AS MUCH TIME HERE AS NEARLY ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES. THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF CANDIDATES AMONG THE REPUBLICAN FIELD WHO’VE SPENT LESS TIME THAN SCOTT WALKER HAS HERE IN IOWA. HE’S BEEN AT MULTICANDIDATE EVENTS. HE WAS HERE IN JANUARY, MARCH AND LAST MONTH AT EVENTS WHERE MANY OTHER CANDIDATES SPOKE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE’S OUT ON THE TRAIL CAMPAIGNING BY HIMSELF, HOLDING A TOWN HALL EVENT IN CEDAR RAPIDS, WHERE IOWANS WILL BE ASKING HIM QUESTIONS. ON SUNDAY HE’LL BE GOING TO HIS HOMETOWN, IF YOU WILL. HE SPENT THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE IN PLAINFIELD, IOWA, WHERE HIS FATHER WAS A BAPTIST PASTOR.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THE LAST TWO WINNERS IN IOWA WERE RICK SANTORUM AND MIKE HUCKABEE, BOTH FINDING STRONG SUPPORT IN THE EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY AND NEITHER OF THEM WINNING THE NOMINATION. IS THAT A TREND THAT GOVERNOR WALKER NEEDS TO WORRY ABOUT IN 2016?

KAY HENDERSON:

WELL, THE ONE INTERESTING THING ABOUT SCOTT WALKER’S POLL NUMBERS HERE IN IOWA, AS EVIDENCED BY A POLL THAT BLOOMBERG NEWS AND THE DES MOINES REGISTER CONDUCTED IN LATE MAY WAS THAT NOT ONLY IS SCOTT WALKER DRAWING SUPPORT FROM IOWA’S EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS WHO ARE KEY PARTICIPANTS IN THE CAUCUSES, BUT HE’S DRAWING SUPPORT FROM TEA PARTY ACTIVISTS. HE’S DRAWING SUPPORT FROM THE QUOTE UNQUOTE ESTABLISHMENT OR PEOPLE WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES MODERATES AND HE’S DRAWING SUPPORT FROM PEOPLE WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES LIBERTARIANS. THAT’S A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS IF YOU CAN REACH ACROSS THE SPECTRUMS OF THE PARTY AND BUILD A COALITION TO SUPPORT YOUR CANDIDACY HERE. AND RIGHT NOW WALKER HAS THE MAKINGS OF THAT KIND OF SUCCESS. IT WILL DEPEND AS WE GO THROUGH THESE MONTHS LEADING UP TO THE FEBRUARY 1 CAUCUSES WHETHER HE CAN MAINTAIN THAT, WHETHER A CANDIDATE LIKE JEB BUSH STARTS TO ATTRACT MORE MODERATES TO HIS CAUSE, SORT OF SOLIDIFIES ATTENTION AND SUPPORT FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS HERE IN THE STATE. BUT RIGHT NOW SCOTT WALKER IS IN A PRETTY GOOD POSITION, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT THE FIELD IS ABSOLUTELY SO LARGE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

GOVERNOR WALKER IS REALLY PLAYING UP HIS BATTLES WITH THE UNIONS AND WINNING THE RECALL IN WISCONSIN. HOW WELL DOES THAT PLAY IN IOWA?

KAY HENDERSON:

THAT’S EXACTLY WHY MANY REPUBLICANS BACK IN JANUARY WERE TELLING ME THAT THEY SUPPORT HIM. THEY LIKE THAT PUGNACIOUSNESS THAT HE EXHIBITED IN HIS FIGHTS WITH UNIONS IN HIS OWN STATE. THEY’VE BEEN FRANKLY FRUSTRATED BY THEIR OWN REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR – TERRY BRANSTAD – THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN AS FORCEFUL IN CONFRONTING UNIONS AND TRYING TO SCALE BACK COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS AS WALKER DID IN WISCONSIN. SO THAT TRULY IS WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED ATTENTION TO WALKER AMONG REPUBLICANS. AND THEN HIS PERFORMANCE AT THESE MULTICANDIDATE EVENTS IN IOWA HAS SORT OF VAULTED HIM INTO WHAT IS CURRENTLY A SLIM LEAD HERE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

HOW DOES GOVERNOR WALKER COMPARE TO THE OTHER REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS AS A JOURNALIST?

KAY HENDERSON:

I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INTERVIEW SCOTT WALKER ONE-ON-ONE TWICE SO FAR IN THE CAMPAIGN. I TALKED TO HIM BY PHONE THIS PAST WEEK. I INTERVIEWED HIM IN PERSON WHEN HE WAS HERE LATE THIS SPRING. HE’S ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS. IN THE LATE SPRING INTERVIEW THAT I DID WITH HIM, I PROBED HIM ON THE RIGHT TO WORK LAW, WHICH HE HAD SIGNED INTO LAW IN WISCONSIN, AND ASKED HIM IF HE WERE TO BECOME PRESIDENT, IF HE WOULD PUSH THAT AS A NATIONAL STANDARD, ENFORCE IT IN ALL 50 STATES, TRY TO GET A FEDERAL RIGHT TO WORK LAW. AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. SO I HAVE FOUND IN MY INTERACTIONS WITH SCOTT WALKER THAT HE’S BEEN OPEN TO INTERVIEWS WITH RADIO IOWA. RADIO IOWA IS A NETWORK THAT REACHES COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS IN IOWA. WE HAVE 60 AFFILIATES. SO HE’S NOT JUST TALKING TO ME. HE’S TALKING TO ALL THOSE FOLKS WHO LISTEN TO THOSE MORE THAN 60 RADIO STATIONS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE GENERAL ELECTION, IOWA HAS GONE FOR THE DEMOCRAT IN SIX OF THE LAST SEVEN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN CLOSE RACES. DO YOU SEE IOWA AS A SWING STATE NEXT YEAR?

KAY HENDERSON:

WELL IOWA HAS OFTEN BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE MOST PURPLE OF THE PURPLE STATES, IF YOU WILL. YOU HAVE ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE A CANDIDATE IN HILLARY CLINTON WHO IS ALREADY STARTING TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR A PRECINCT BY PRECINCT APPARATUS THAT SHE CAN JUST PUT WATER IN AFTER SHE WINS THE NOMINATION – IF SHE WINDS UP WINNING THE NOMINATION AS SHE’S EXPECTED TO – AND SORT OF REVIVE IT FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION. SO THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF THESE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES, INCLUDING SCOTT WALKER, TO ENGAGE IN IOWA, BECAUSE THEY WILL BE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION AND WHAT COULD BE ANOTHER NAIL-BITER CONTEST HERE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ALL RIGHT. O. KAY HENDERSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR OBSERVATIONS TODAY.

KAY HENDERSON:

THANK YOU.