Big weekend ahead for Gov. Walker with Iowa, California trips

MADISON (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker is fine-tuning his message heading into a busy weekend where he will rub shoulders with other potential 2016 presidential candidates speaking to conservatives in Iowa and at a Koch brothers event in California.

Walker has been crafting his image on the national political stage as a fresh-faced reformer and a proven winner who can offer a stark contrast to what he brands as dysfunction in Washington.

Walker said Friday he will talk to Iowa Republicans about his record in Wisconsin and make the argument that the GOP presidential nominee needs to be someone who is a proven winner and outside of the Washington establishment.

Republican Iowa activist Susan Geddes says Walker needs to make himself known to Iowa voters, but he is "something new and fresh."