Governor Walker still hasn't officially announced his candidacy for president; will waiting help or hurt him?

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Despite what appears to be a tour of key states for a presidential candidate, Governor Walker has yet to officially announce his candidacy. Will this apparent deliberate delay help or hurt Walker in his potential presidential run?

Governor Walker made another stop in New Hampshire this weekend at an event seen as a starting point for GOP presidential hopefuls in the early primary state, yet he still hasn't officially announced he's running for president in 2016.

"Not surprised at all. As a matter of fact, I think it`s politically wise not to have announced," Van Mobley, an associate professor of history and economics at Concordia University said.

Mobley says Walker needs this time to make himself known nationally, and he says it appears to be working.

"I don`t think it would have served his interest to be the first one to announce and I think now really you do have -- the field is beginning to shake out," Mobley said.

According to a recent Marquette University Law School Poll, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is favored over Republican Scott Walker at 52% vs. 40%, should Walker run.

Walker isn't the only potential Republican candidate that hasn't yet announced his candidacy. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has yet to do so formally, and Mobley says that will most likely have a big impact on when Walker announces.

"Does he want to try to wait until Jeb Bush goes and then wait until after Jeb Bush -- or does he just want to say 'I`m not worried about Jeb Bush' because there`s another factor besides who else is in the field?" Mobley said.

That other factor is what Mobley calls the "general communal mind" -- the public and the ability to focus on politics.

"Normally in my view it tends to focus around major holidays, so I think if Walker wants to announce any time before the end of the summer, he should do so before Memorial Day, because after Memorial Day you run into the Fourth of July holiday," Mobley said.

After that, Mobley says it could be too late to grab the public's attention.

Mobley says when Walker decides to make his announcement could have a large impact on his campaign going forward -- possibly determining whether he'll have an uphill climb right from the get-go. But Mobley says unlike with some potential candidates, it won't be a make-or-break situation for Walker.

CLICK HERE to view the results of the CNN/ORC International presidential poll.