As he panders to extreme conservatives all over the country, Scott Walker is also touting his electability among independent voters as a selling point for his presidential candidacy; that’s why the latest public poll numbers that show Walker’s overall favorability underwater and a significant downward shift in support from independents are bad news for the governor.
The latest poll numbers from Public Policy Polling show Walker with a net unfavorable rating, 43/52, down from 49/47 before last fall’s election. Walker has also faced a steep, 12 point decline in support among independents, now at 36/57 down from a 48/45 spread last fall.
At CPAC not two weeks ago, Walker stated that voters, especially independent voters, want someone “who is going to fight and win every single day for the hardworking taxpayers.”
And he’s (mostly) right.
An overwhelming majority of voters — independents, Democrats, and Republicans alike — want elected officials who fight every day for a stronger middle class that will grow our economy from the inside out. Only that’s not what Wisconsinites are getting from Scott Walker and the poll numbers reflect it. Instead of a governor who puts middle class families first, Wisconsin has in Scott Walker a perennial candidate for higher office who is running for panderer in chief and using working Wisconsin families as pawns for his personal political gain.
Wisconsinites weren’t asking for right to work legislation — only 42 percent of voters are in favor of it, matching Walker’s favorability — but they got it anyway because Walker’s campaign donors wanted it. Same goes for an expansion of unaccountable voucher schools and a forthcoming attack on women’s health.
Meanwhile, needed investments in healthcare, education, and infrastructure are falling by the wayside as Wisconsin’s deficit — and debt — is on the rise. It’s no wonder the GOP brand is under water in Scott Walker’s Wisconsin.
“Scott Walker said it himself — independent voters want elected officials who will fight for the middle class, and right now he’s losing their support fast as he panders to the extreme right-wing and pushes radical policies that he never campaigned on,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Tuesday. “The latest poll numbers show that Wisconsinites aren’t buying what Scott Walker and his Republican Party are selling.”
