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5 Stories To Check Out Before Scott Walker Takes The Stage At The GOP Debate

General Consensus: Walker Needs To Have Strong Showing To Keep Things Afloat

By
Michael Vadon (CC-BY-SA)

Gov. Scott Walker needs to make a big impression at the second Republican primary debate if he wants to salvage his struggling presidential campaign — at least, that seems to be the general consensus of the media coverage leading up to Wednesday night’s showdown.

The GOP debate airs at 7 p.m. Central Standard Time on CNN. In the meantime, here are five articles that might help put Walker and the debate in some context:

Politico: Scott Walker’s last best chance

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Here, Daniel Stross gives a broad overview of what precisely is at stake for the Walker campaign on Wednesday. Stross writes: “This debate marks a critical moment, and supporters are warning Walker needs to see this as an opportunity for a reset, both to quiet the critics and keep the cash flow strong.”

Capital Times: From relaxed to aggressive, Walker heads into second debate as underdog

Gov. Scott Walker took a decidedly quiet approach in the first debate: He answered his questions concisely, and abstained from going on the offensive. However, as Jessie Opoien reports, the governor says that he’s changing his tack for Wednesday night. The plan, says Walker, is to “be aggressive.”

MSNBC: Scott Walker is struggling, but is it too soon to count him out?

The narrative surrounding Walker’s campaign in the media over the past month has consistently been one of decline. However, in this MSNBC article, reporter Zachary Roth questions whether that decline is destined to last. Says Roth: “Walker’s campaign is a long way from dead. In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking if, by the time the Iowa caucuses roll around in February, he’s back in the thick of the fight.”

Gannett Wisconsin: Walker backers urge return to core beliefs

Walker’s shifting positions on immigration, birthright citizenship, the environment and same-sex marriage have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks. Donovan Slack reports in The Post-Crescent that many of the governor’s longtime supporters, like Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, are calling for Walker to stop playing politics and fall back on his core beliefs.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A few of Gov. Scott Walker’s past debates

Finally, here’s a short and sweet rundown of some notable debates from Walker’s past, courtesy of Jason Stein. The list includes Walker’s showdown with Tom Barrett during his first run for governor, along with the first GOP debate from last month. However, the most notable entry here is actually a debate from 1992, when a 24-year-old Walker took on local Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.