Robert C. O’Brien, a senior adviser to Governor Scott Walker’s presidential campaign, isn’t concerned with Walker’s “tough time in the polls.” Few governors have the resilience of Scott Walker, who has “always been counted out—and he’s always won,” as O’Brien puts it.
Walker’s senior foreign policy adviser explained the campaign’s optimistic approach in an extensive interview with The Daily Caller, saying, “we think we’re going to come back. Gov. Walker is in this; he’s not getting out.” (RELATED: Walker’s Senior Foreign Policy Adviser: We Have To Rebuild Our Military Capability)
O’Brien acknowledged that Walker’s campaign had “a rocky summer in the polls,” but so too have other “top tier” candidates.
Addressing rumors about the status of the Walker campaign, O’Brien said, “He’s been counted out many times. In his first gubernatorial race, the recall, the reelect, he’s always been counted out—and he’s always won. We’ve seen this story play out before.”
Regarding the CNN debate last Wednesday, O’Brien said that ideally they would have liked more airtime. But looking back at the debate he posed several questions: “Who was the most substantive? Who was the most concise? Who stuck with conservative principles?”
Taking all that into account, Walker “had a great debate,” he said.
O’Brien continued: “If you look at the ideas and the things that the other candidates are talking about, they are all looking at Scott Walker. Marco Rubio kept talking about a ‘Day One Agenda.’ That’s Governor Walker’s term. That’s what he’s been talking about, his ‘Day One Agenda.’ In some way, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. That’s what we saw in the debate. And that’s what we are seeing with the candidates out on the trail.”
In terms of actual debate performance, O’Brien maintained, “Would we like more airtime? Absolutely. [But] you can’t criticize his ideas or his delivery.”
Speaking about the current leaders in many of the polls—Donald Trump and Ben Carson as well as rising star Carly Fiorina—O’Brien insisted that although Walker is “not as big a personality,” he is “the best qualified guy to be POTUS.”
O’Brien spoke to the team surrounding Governor Walker, saying they remain intact and that “in politics loyalty is pretty important, at least in my book, and I’m sticking with Governor Walker until he is elected president or he decides to do something else.”