Gov. Walker lists Wauwatosa home for sale, updates plans to retire campaign debt
WAUWATOSA -- Gov. Scott Walker put his Wauwatosa home on the market Sunday, January 24th, ending weeks of speculation about the Walker family's plans for the home.
Walker said that he and wife Tonette Walker want to downsize because their two sons are away at college. Monday, the governor said he didn't plan to use money from selling his home in order to retire campaign debt left over from Walker's failed presidential bid. The debt is estimated at up to $1 million.
The property at 520 N. 68th Street is posted at Realtor.com. The listing agent, Cathy Priem of Delafield, notes that the home "boasts quintessential 'Tosa charm."
The two-story colonial home features three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The asking price is $338,000, which is $28,000 more than the Walkers paid for it in 2007.
Governor Scott Walker's home in Wauwatosa
The home was built in 1924 and is 2,152 square feet, according to the listing, which notes that the Walkers have rebuilt the chimney and painted the outside of the home.
It has a fenced yard, an in-ground pool and a two-car attached garage.
"Like many empty nesters, we are looking to downsize," Walker tweeted late Sunday. He said his son Matt will graduate from Marquette University this May, and his younger son Alex will graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison a year later.
Governor Scott Walker's home in Wauwatosa listed at Realtor.com
Laurel Patrick, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Scott and Tonette Walker have been living in the Executive Residence in suburban Madison since their sons went off to college.
Over a 40-day period from late September through the end of October, the Walkers stayed in the Maple Bluff residence for 31 days and their Wauwatosa home for just nine days.
Yet that does not explain the timing of Sunday's listing. Patrick did not respond Sunday to questions about whether the Walkers needed money from the home sale to retire lingering campaign debt.
Monday, she said the timing of the home listing had nothing to do with the debt.
FOX6 News first started looking into a potential sale of the Walker's home in November 2015, when a storage unit was parked outside the home. A blogger took a picture of a moving van in the driveway one day earlier.
At the time, Patrick said the governor's parents were moving into an assisted living facility and criticized the inquiry, saying, "Wow, it's a little strange that people are staking out the family's house."
Walker was freshly out of the presidential race, and news reports indicated his bloated former campaign was left with $1 million in debt.
Storage unit at Governor Scott Walker's home in Wauwatosa in November
Governor's residence in Madison
Since then, Walker's political arm has been sending emails to supporters, seeking donations to pay off his campaign debt. One email even offered to give donors a Walker lapel pin left over from the race.
Walker's campaign finance books will soon be open to the public. All presidential candidates, including those who have exited the race, must file their 2015 year-end reports by Jan. 31.
CLICK HERE to view the listing, and to take a look at photos of the home.