Former GOP Gov. Scott Walker floats future presidential bid at CPAC
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NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Former Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday, opened the door to mounting a second presidential bid -- either four or eight years from now.
Walker, in an interview with Fox News at CPAC, said he’ll spend the next four years on the “front lines,” working with young people to stress “the importance of freedom over socialism."
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“I’m 22 years younger than President Trump, so, I figured I have some breathing room,” Walker told Fox News.
When asked whether he would run for president again, he said: “Never say never—I don’t know about 2024, but 2028—yeah, at some point. I’ve got plenty of time.”
Walker, 52, ran for the nomination in the crowded Republican primary field in 2016, against Trump and others.
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Walker was the second to drop out of that race, complaining about “personal attacks” and warning the party at the time to counter Trump.
"I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field," Walker said in 2015. "... I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner."
Walker now defends Trump's policies and predicts, "We'll be in good shape in the 2020 election."
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“There is a tremendous opportunity, particularly with the likelihood of Bernie Sanders being on the ticket, we can’t take it for granted,” Walker told Fox News on Friday. “But if we get it right, we can move beyond just personality politics to a real difference between socialism and freedom. That’s really the choice that voters have.”
Walker is currently the president of Young America’s Foundation, a group whose mission is to ensure "young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values."