UNDATED (WSAU-Wheeler News) Governor Scott Walker has taken another step toward a possible run for the White House, by hiring national G-O-P consultant Rick Wiley. C-N-N first reported the move yesterday. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said it confirmed Wiley’s hiring — but neither Wiley nor the Walker camp has done so.
Wiley knows Wisconsin well, serving as the political director and then executive director for the State Republican party. He also helped with Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid in 2008, and was the political director for the Republican National Committee. Wiley has also been a liaison for the Republican Governors Association, and was most recently a consultant with the Mercury Public Affairs’ firm in Washington.
Walker recently told the Journal Sentinel he would decide on a presidential candidacy sometime after he submits his next two-year state budget to the Legislature in February. He said any serious presidential hopeful for 2016 must be in the race by the middle of this year — and he’ll need to see if it’s the right “calling” before taking the plunge.
