President Scott Walker? Why some say a big campaign promise could come back to haunt him

MADISON (WITI) -- President Walker? Actions taken by Governor Scott Walker in recent weeks seem to signal a presidential bid -- but experts say one big campaign promise might come back to haunt him.

Governor Walker has already hired a senior advisor to assemble a team for a potential presidential run. All that's missing is an official announcement.

Delivering the keynote address at the Republican National Committee's annual winter meeting last Thursday, January 15th, Governor Walker may have put the "will he, or won't he" rumors to rest.

"There`s absolutely no doubt that he wants to run," UW-Milwaukee Urban Planning Professor Mordecai Lee said.

Lee says Walker sounded like a presidential hopeful when he delivered the speech in California.

"I think we`ve already seen the official announcement.  I think the State of the State, followed up by the last two speeches, were the announcement," Lee said.

But looking back, Lee says it hasn't always been this obvious.

"It was only about two months ago he was running for re-election and when people asked him if he was going to serve his term or run for president, his standard line was 'I`m committed to being Governor,'" Lee said.

In fact, during the October 10th gubernatorial debate in Eau Claire, Walker was asked whether he'd serve a full term if re-elected.

"My plan if elected is to be here for four years," Governor Walker said at the time.

"There may be some Wisconsinites who maybe feel a little slightly misled by that," Lee said.

But in his recent speeches, including the State of the State address...

"Governor Walker is describing the `dream candidate` as himself," Lee said.

Lee says to look to an unlikely place for even more clues.

"I think his budget is going to have a structural deficit.  I think it`s going to be more than a billion dollars," Lee said.

Governor Walker has said he will make a decision whether to run for president after the state budget process has been completed.

Lee says he believes a potential budget deficit will be solved by Walker through cuts to government spending.

This week, Walker is scheduled to join other potential GOP presidential contenders at a conservative summit in Iowa. Later this month, he'll give a speech about the economy to a Washington, D.C.-based conservative organization.

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