Election Recap: Who is the Man Behind the Governor's Desk?

The Incumbent

by Claire McMannes

Governor Scott Walker is facing re-elections this November after a term of dramatic action. While he’s known for many things, the most obvious may be when he was recalled, and better yet, when he survived recall. For those of you who don’t know a recall is when a politician is removed from house before their term is up, you can be removed when you are at least a year into your term. 

Before Scott Walker became the 45th governor of Wisconsin, he was just like everyone else. He went to school, had job, and had a passion: politics. Born in Colorado Springs on November 2, 1967, he and his family soon moved to Wisconsin where he joined in several different clubs relating to politics. Walker attended Badger Boys State and Boys Nation and was involved in Eagle Scouts.  Walker’s first role model was Ronald Reagan who he met as an Eagle Scout. 

After high school, he attended Marquette University in 1986; although that was short lived, as he did not graduate but went to work for the Red Cross. He went into politics at age 25, running against several others for a seat on the Wisconsin State Assembly, which he won. He then married Tonette Tarantino and had two children, Matt and Alex. 

Meanwhile Walker’s political career sky-rocketed; held the Wisconsin State Assembly seat for four consecutive terms. But he was no longer a part of the assembly after he became the executive of Milwaukee County.

Walker won the governor election on his 43rd birthday, beating Tom Barrett. He won the people over with his ideas on reducing taxes and spending until the recall effort started in 2011, this lead to the recall election June 2012. He did, however, survive the recall by 53% of the votes. Walker has shown resilience and dedication to his career in politics.