Scott Walker talks Milwaukee, the RNC and Republicans' chances in the 2024 elections

Republican former Gov. Scott Walker was at the forefront of the "Cheesehead Revolution" with fellow Wisconsin rising GOP stars Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus.

Leading the state from 2011 into 2019, Walker shepherded Wisconsin through several policy changes that curbed the influence of public- and private-sector unions, barred tax increases and thrust the Badger State into the national spotlight .

Walker was a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Ryan served as Speaker of the House from 2015 until 2019. And Priebus, who led the state GOP from 2007-11, went on to lead the Republican National Committee from 2011-17, then served for six months as former President Donald Trump's chief of staff and, most recently, as chairman of the Republican National Convention host committee in Milwaukee.

More: Remember GOP's Cheesehead Revolution? As Ryan leaves, Wisconsin's national influence wanes

Last week, Walker — who served two terms as Wisconsin governor and previously served in the state Legislature and as Milwaukee County executive — was in Milwaukee as the Republican National Convention gathered to nominate former President Donald Trump, along with Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.

Here's what Walker, who now heads Young America's Foundation , had to say about the convention and the 2024 election in an interview with the Journal Sentinel from the Baird Center inside the RNC.

What did Republicans visiting Milwaukee like best about the city?

It was "spectacular" to have Milwaukee in the national spotlight, Walker said.

Visitors loved the weather, he said, and were "amazed" by the lakefront. Walker said he made a point to speak with the law enforcement officers who came in from across the country to ask what they were enjoying and make sure they got cheese curds while they were in town.

Another hit? The city's architecture.

"And, most important, I hear all the time, the people here are so wonderful," he said.

Walker ran against Trump in 2016, and backed Ted Cruz in Wisconsin's primary. What ultimately sold him on Trump?

"Well, eight years ago, it was binary. It was very clear. I looked at Hillary Clinton, knew her record. I knew Donald Trump's. My reluctance early on, because he wasn't my first pick — I was my first pick — but as you know, in the primary, I supported Ted Cruz, before ultimately speaking at this very similar convention in Cleveland on behalf of then-candidate Trump. And I made the case about all the horrible things I thought Hillary Clinton would do. I was hopeful on the things that Donald Trump said he would do, but (he'd) never been in office, didn't know," Walker said.

"And I've got to tell you, I was much happier to support him in 2020, because he did it! His style may be different than what I would do, most certainly, but I like to think in the Midwest, we admire doers more than talkers, because there's a lot of talkers in Washington, and while I occasionally wish he would tweet a little differently, the bottom line is, he gets things done."

Unity was a major theme at the RNC, but along with that was broadening the GOP tent. Why is it important to reach out to new blocs of voters?

Republicans have a "compelling case" to make on issues like affordability, Walker said, referencing cost-of-living issues like high gas prices and mortgage payments.

"Those are a very unifying sense in that Americans, not just Republicans, are feeling that pain, and they yearn back to four years ago, when prices were different, where they were more affordable," Walker said.

It was after the June 27 debate between Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden that other Republicans, who had been reluctant to back Trump, like former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, decided to speak out in support of the former Republican president, Walker said.

"I think that's really important in terms of unity, in terms of broadening the net," Walker said. "Donald Trump is a whole different candidate, which is an understatement, right? But I think he's willing to go anywhere and do anything. … He'll go to the places that have historically not voted for Republicans, and he'll make the case."

Teamsters union president Sean O'Brien addressed the RNC on its first night — the first time the union's leader had done so in its 121-year history. What did Walker, the architect of Act 10, make of his speech?

Walker sees a home for union workers in today's Republican Party, likening them to the "Reagan Democrats" of the 1980s. In fact, he noted, one of former President Ronald Reagan's biggest rallies was at Milwaukee's Serb Hall.

"Reagan Democrats are very much like blue-collar, working-class Americans who, today, feel forgotten, and they see a champion now, not only in Donald Trump, but particularly after hearing about JD Vance's life — a guy who like, sadly, a lot of people in this state, have family members dealing with addiction to drugs, living in poverty. These are the people who feel forgotten," he said.

"So to see someone like the Teamsters head, whether I agree with everything he says or every prescription he has for the future, is irrelevant to the fact that he's identified that his workers feel forgotten, and Donald Trump can appeal to them," Walker said.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is known to be a tough candidate. What's Walker's advice for Republican challenger Eric Hovde?

Walker and Baldwin served together in the state Legislature in the 1990s.

"I actually get along with her. I just don't agree with her policies," Walker said. "But Tammy's been brilliant. She kind of followed Herb Kohl's model of keep a low profile, don't make a lot of fuss. (She) certainly voted probably more liberal than Herb Kohl did. Herb Kohl was more of a traditional centrist.

"Tammy Baldwin, by any admission, is a very solid liberal, almost extreme liberal, position in the Senate. But here, you know, every 5 1/2 years, she brings up bills to help the dairy industry, the ships up in Marinette, up in the northwest, to force them to show on TV the Packers instead of the Vikings. It's the same routine every 5 1/2 years. But in the past, it's been effective."

Baldwin also raises "a boatload of money," Walker said.

Hovde is a "solid candidate," Walker said, adding that the real estate and banking mogul needs to raise enough money to "at least be competitive" with Baldwin, and then tie her to Biden's policies. Anything that disappoints voters about Biden, Walker argued, is also tied to Baldwin.

Thinking about a significant loss in Wisconsin politics, what went wrong?

Republican former President Ronald Reagan won Wisconsin in 1980 and 1984. Why did GOP former President George H.W. Bush lose in 1992?

"He underestimated … the 'no new taxes' pledge. But more specifically … that element that Reagan and Trump share, the Reagan Democrats, the people who feel forgotten and overlooked by the establishment," Walker said. "And remember, in that moment, if you look back at it, Ross Perot ate into that category. He took a significant portion of the vote."

When Walker ran for Milwaukee County executive in 2004, he said, the numbers he looked at most closely were where Perot had succeeded — South Milwaukee, Cudahy and West Allis.

"Those are people who are conservative, but not Republican, and I could make an appeal to them on the issues. I think that's an important takeaway for someone like Donald Trump to say, those are voters we can appeal to not as Republicans, but as people fighting for them, fighting for the forgotten," Walker said.

Thinking of a significant win in Wisconsin politics, what went right?

Walker, in 2012, became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall challenge.

"The whole world's watching. The country's focused," Walker said. "Once they got the signatures, a lot of pundits said it's over — but again, we went back, made the case to the hard-working people, and to those swing voters, we appealed to their sensibility. We said, 'Hey, you may not like everything we did. You may not like our style. … But (our efforts) are working, and … give us a chance to see how things work out over a full four-year term.'"

"And I think those independent swing voters here, that was very appealing," Walker said. "For swing voters, you're not going to change Donald Trump from being a fighter. You can't do that. … But make him a fighter for those voters and their families. You do that, he wins. If you're just fighting for the sake of fighting, you lose. But if you make it for them, you win."

Voter enthusiasm is historically low in recent polls. Why should people be engaged and involved?

Walker stressed the significance of presidential elections on judicial selections, noting that Reagan nominated conservative former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

"Moments like that are a good reminder to voters, in general, of the impact that any given president can have, not only on the judiciary but on the economy, on all the other circumstances," Walker said. "You look how close the 2000 election was. Think about the impact of having George W. Bush there at that moment, at that time, and how he responded to (the Sept. 11) crisis and brought this country together in the midst of what was utter chaos at the time."

"So those sorts of moments, I think, are bigger than just policies and even personalities," Walker said.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Scott Walker talks Milwaukee, the RNC and Republicans' chances in the 2024 elections