Scott Walker Joins Presidential Race, Promising Republicans a Fight

The primary will be a delicate balance for the governor, who polls suggest has more potential than others to win support from Christian conservatives, Tea Party activists, and business-oriented Republicans alike.

Scott Walker Joins `Fight` for 2016 GOP Nomination

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By John McCormick

July 13, 2015 at 9:00 AM UTC

Updated on

July 13, 2015 at 12:20 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The suburban Milwaukee stage where Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will stand Monday evening to formally announce his entry into the 2016 Republican presidential race will be familiar to him, even if the road ahead is entirely new.

The Waukesha County Expo Center, where Walker will become the 15th Republican to officially unveil a full White House campaign, is the same venue where he celebrated a June 2012 victory as the first U.S. governor to survive a recall election, after successfully confronting organized labor the previous year. That win fueled his rise to national prominence and provides the foundation for his campaign against rival top-tier candidates such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.