ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) – Governor Scott Walker stopped in Ashwaubenon on Tuesday to highlight the importance of small businesses and also fielded questions on whether President Trump stumping for Republicans in Mosinee on Wednesday is actually a benefit or a liability.
Walker was speaking at Packerland Glass Products as part of his Wisconsin is Working tour.
On the topic of the state’s economy, the incumbent Republican Governor credited small business owners with expanding job opportunities in Wisconsin.
“I just looked on Friday before heading into campaigning over the weekend and we had over 100,000 job openings on our state website,” he says. “That’s just one site.”
At the event, he received an official endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Wisconsin political action committee.
“When small business needs a voice, not silent bystanders, the list of true champions for small business is too often too short,” says Bill Smith, state director of NFIB in Wisconsin.
Smith credits Governor Walker with enacting legislation that has benefited small businesses.
“We finally have taken an important first step towards eliminating the personal property tax, [which is] a top small business priority,” says Smith.
Walker went on to highlight the role that successful small business owners have in the state economy.
“They are the part that really fuels the economy,” he claims. “They are the people that put people to work, they are the folks that help increase wages and opportunities across the state.”
And in his opinion, the current landscape that small businesses operate in is far removed from when this decade began.
“We know that things were tough for our small businesses eight years ago,” says Governor Walker. “We saw unemployment was over nine percent and we saw thousands and thousands of jobs being lost.”
Walker went on to further credit small businesses for Wisconsin’s current workforce participation.
On the topic of President Trump’s visit to stump for Wisconsin Republicans in Mosinee on Wednesday, he said it definitely will create a buzz.
“Just generating excitement and interest and attention, I think is a good thing across the state,” says Governor Walker.
But will the visit actually affect voting in the November mid-term elections?
“Regardless of whether President Trump or President Obama is here, in the end, the people of this state are going to cast a vote between now and November 6 about who should be the leader of the state of Wisconsin for the next four years,” he explains.
Former President Obama is scheduled to stop in Milwaukee on Friday to campaign on the behalf of Democratic candidates.
In regards to whether President Trump’s visit could actually have a negative impact for Republicans in the upcoming election, Walker says it’s not that easy.
“You don’t have to agree with the President on everything in order to be able to work with him on the things that are important to people here in Wisconsin,” he says.
Walker asserted that while President Trump’s administration has been controversial on some fronts, they have been overall favorable to Wisconsinites. One example he provided was achieving a goal to benefit dairy farmers in recent trade agreements.
“A year and a half later Donald Trump delivered on that promise,” says Walker. “He called me up right before the announcement of the trade deal with Canada and he said, I held out to the very end and you got what you wanted.”
Walker also mentioned the government’s quick assistance in flood relief efforts across the state earlier this year.
The President will be at the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee speaking on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
