Gov. Scott Walker kicked off his second term Monday by drawing distinctions between his administration and the federal government as he touted the accomplishments of his first term — and laid out his vision for the next.
“In contrast to the politicians along the Potomac, we get things done here in the Badger State. There is a clear contrast between Washington and Wisconsin,” Walker told the crowd in the state Capitol rotunda. “Now, we have a grand vision for the future — a dream of freedom and prosperity for all who live here in the great state of Wisconsin.”
The Republican governor, who is considering a 2016 presidential run, used his inaugural address to highlight his first term, saying his administration has been “good stewards of the taxpayers’ money and lowered their tax burden as well.”
“We’ve shown why the founders of this great nation looked to the states — and not the federal government — as the source of hope for this exceptional country,” Walker said. “We will not let them down.”
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The inaugural ceremony was heavy with references to the future, and featured Walker’s sons, Matt and Alex, as masters of ceremonies and an invocation by Violet and Ella, the daughters of Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said he “didn’t hear any new ideas” in Walker’s inaugural address. He said he’s concerned that a Walker presidential run could be a distraction.
“We need and deserve a governor that’s fully engaged,” Barca said. “Up until now, he’s tried to sell himself more than he’s tried to sell Wisconsin.”
Former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, who briefly ran for president in 2008, said he urged Walker to run for president and to get in the race sooner rather than later.
“I waited too long. I should have run for president when headed into my second term; I would have done much better,” Thompson said. “But I waited, and I told Gov. Walker, ‘Don’t wait. If you’ve got it in your gut, and you feel you’ve got a calling, you go for it, you go for it. Go for it with all of the gusto you possibly can.’”
In his inaugural speech, Walker said that in his second term, he would work to ensure every child has access to a quality education, reduce the size and scope of government, build infrastructure to support a “thriving economy,” and build confidence in employers “that they can create new jobs and find qualified workers to fill them.”
The state faces an estimated $2.2 billion shortfall heading into the 2015-17 budget cycle. Walker is expected to deliver his budget proposal early next month. Other hot-button issues likely to come up during this session include right-to-work legislation, a rewrite of campaign finance laws, changes to the state Government Accountability Board and John Doe investigations, expansion of the statewide voucher program and a school accountability bill.
Walker, who has also pledged to further reduce taxes, offered few specifics in his inaugural address but is expected to lay out more details in his upcoming state-of-the-state speech.
“Overall, everyone in this state should have an opportunity to live their piece of the American dream — right here in Wisconsin,” Walker said.
Walker made similar comments in November, when he easily won re-election.
Walker made national headlines shortly after he took office in early 2011, when he unveiled his controversial measure that all but ended collective bargaining for most of the state’s public workers. The move brought tens of thousands of protesters to the Capitol.
The measure, which came to be known as Act 10, also spurred a wave of recall elections, including one that Walker won in 2012, becoming the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall.
Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, said Monday she remains hopeful that more partisan measures won’t pass this session. For example, she said Walker’s presidential ambitions could temper efforts to pass a right-to-work bill.
“The governor is flirting with running for president so suddenly we have the eyes of a nation that would be upon this state,” Shilling said. “So I think he is going to be very careful and very scripted and very disciplined about what he wants to do.”
Walker has called right-to-work legislation “a distraction” even as Republican lawmakers say it will be a priority.
Walker is again expected to benefit from the GOP-controlled Legislature, which will have even wider margins in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers — including 25 new members of the Assembly and seven new senators — and other constitutional officers also were inaugurated Monday.
Republicans will hold a 63-36 majority in the Assembly and an 18-14 majority in the Senate, with one seat vacant following Sen. Glenn Grothman’s election to Congress.
“We must not take the easy route and just propose additional ways to spend more taxpayer money,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said after state representatives took the oath of office.
He called on them to work together to reduce government spending and shrink the size of government.
Constitutional officers sworn in Monday include Kleefisch, treasurer Matt Adamczyk and new Attorney General Brad Schimel, who in a brief speech identified heroin abuse as “public enemy No. 1.”
Secretary of State Doug La Follette was sworn into office in a private ceremony last month and did not attend Monday’s event. He said Monday that he is in Phoenix for a conference and his absence was not meant to send a political message.
Incoming Senate President Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin’ Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau; Vos; and incoming Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, attended the speech along with dozens of other legislators.
The day of inaugural festivities was scheduled to end with a ball at Monona Terrace.
State Journal reporter Matthew DeFour and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
