WASHINGTON — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker sat down with Baltimore’s WBAL radio host Derek Hunter at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) for a wide-ranging interview.
Last week, the Wisconsin Senate approved a right-to-work bill, and the state’s House is expected to follow suit in approving the bill. The state law allows workers the choice of whether or not to join a union.
The union-busting governor told WBAL he will “absolutely” sign the legislation when it reaches his desk. Wisconsin will likely become the 25th state to become a right-to-work state, following Indiana and Michigan.
This law will be another blow to unions who fiercely protested the Wisconsin governor over Act 10 and unsuccessfully fought his reelections.
Walker told WBAL at CPAC that he learned speaking to crowds from his preacher father but he learned important political skills from his mentor — former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels — about the art of using political capital and investing it into reform.
Daniels had advised Walker that “whatever you do, don’t stop reforming” and “take that political capital you get from reform and reinvest it, like you would in the private sector with a successful business.”
His education reforms have led to higher graduation rates, third grade reading scores and Wisconsin’s “ACT scores are second best in the country,” the Wisconsin governor told radio host Derek Hunter.
Walker’s skillful reforming and union battling have boosted him to a conservative favorite for the 2016 election. He made a strong showing in the CPAC straw poll on Saturday as a close second behind Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
In recent weeks, Walker has been widely criticized by the media for avoiding questions, including his thoughts on President Obama’s faith and patriotism.
“I’ve run three times in four years and in the last two elections, I had national media in my state. I was the number one target in America,” he said of his media savvy and experience. “I’m just not taking the bait and they’re frustrated with that.”
Walker revealed to WBAL that his favorite way to relax in his down time is not golf but to ride a motorcycle.
“I ride a Harley. I got a 2003 Road King. That’s my respite. I don’t golf,” he told WBAL. “I love to ride in the Spring. Hopefully by May, I’ll get out my bike.”