Wisconsin's Scott Walker: 2016 presidential frontrunner?

Meet the GOP's new conservative hero: Scott Walker, slayer of unions. Can he ride his big win all the way to the Oval Office?

"Walker proved himself as a damn good candidate," says The Washington Post, but "Walker's sudden prominence will fade," says The New York Times.
(Image credit: Lynn Goldsmith/CORBIS)

"Two years ago, Gov. Scott Walker was a county executive, little known outside the Milwaukee area," says Monica Davey at The New York Times. Today, after beating back a recall attempt fueled by furious labor unions, the Wisconsin governor is a Republican hero and "rock star of the Right." Walker says he's focused on finishing out his first term as governor, which takes him to 2014, but Republicans are already "raising his name as a future contender for higher office." If Mitt Romney fails in his bid to unseat President Obama this year, is Walker at the top of the list for the GOP's 2016 presidential nomination?

Yes. "Walker for President" is definitely in the cards: From the moment it became clear that he faced a recall vote, "Walker proved himself as a damn good candidate," says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. Neither Republicans nor the national network of very wealthy conservative donors he added to his Rolodex while raising $31 million will forget that. Look for Walker in "a prominent speaking slot at the Republican National Convention this summer," which will only "bolster the idea of him as a national candidate — heading into either the 2016 or 2020 election." Walker's only 44, after all, says Charles Mahtesian at Politico. Given the bitter tone of the recall campaign, "he's still a bit too radioactive for 2012, but by 2016 he'll have a large footprint within the party" — assuming, of course, he wins re-election in 2014.

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