Republican Scott Walker praises Milwaukee choice for DNC 2020

MILWAUKEE -- Former Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says "who would have known" that his push to build a new arena in Milwaukee would be one of the key reasons Democrats chose to hold its national convention there.

Walker was an enthusiastic backer of Democrats holding the convention in Wisconsin when he was governor. His defeat in November by Tony Evers has been cited by as one of the signs that Democrats are on the rise in Wisconsin, a state President Donald Trump barely won.

Walker tells The Associated Press on Monday that it is a "great thing for the city and the state" to host the Democratic National Convention, calling it a "perfect fit." Walker now lives in Milwaukee.

But Walker says hosting the convention may also motivate Wisconsin Republicans who otherwise might have been complacent about re-electing Trump.