Walker Pushes Back Against ‘Career Politician’ Label

Gov. Scott Walker is pushing back against assertions that he’s a career politician, even though he has held office for more than two decades.

August was a rough month for Walker’s presidential campaign: He’s been falling in the polls, while candidates who have never held office jumped to the front of the Republican presidential field. Walker has tried to portray himself as an “aggressively normal” candidate who shook up the status quo as governor, though some surveys suggest GOP voters want a candidate who has never worked in government.

Walker was recently asked about that by CNBC’s John Harwood: “What is ‘aggressively normal’ about a career politician, which is what you are?” Hardwood asked.

Walker pushed back, indicating he thought of himself as a “public servant.” He said: “A career politician, in my mind, is somebody who’s been in Congress for 25 years.”

While Walker has never served in Congress, he was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly 22 years ago, and he served as Milwaukee County executive and governor after that.