Like you, I am excited about the prominent role Alabama now has in the 2016 presidential race. Thanks to a bill passed by the Alabama Legislature this year, Alabama’s presidential primary date has been moved up to March 1, 2015, to coincide with the primaries of Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and possibly North Carolina. This “SEC Primary” means the most conservative area of the country will finally play a pivotal role in choosing the Republican nominee to take on Hillary Clinton in 2016.
We in Alabama know that our country is at a crossroads. America cannot afford four or eight more years of the liberal Obama-Clinton “economic policies,” foreign policy, or burdensome regulations that choke job growth.
I believe that conservatives bear the responsibility for offering a new path. The leadership America needs will not come from a Democrat Party that has veered hard left. But make no mistake: conservatives will only win if we nominate a strong leader who will fight unapologetically for conservative principles and offer a positive vision of how to reform America, grow our economy, and make us safe again.
I believe Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is the conservative leader our country needs at this crucial moment in history. He might not have the most interesting hair or the loudest rhetoric. He isn’t flashy and doesn’t change his message just to make the evening new.
In fact, Scott Walker is probably more like the average Alabamian than any other candidate in the race. He grew up as a preacher’s kid in a small Wisconsin town of 8,000 people. He played sports, marched in the band, attended church every time the doors were open, and was even an Eagle Scout.
Scott Walker has served at every level of government from city council to governor. He cut taxes, reduced the size of government, and turned a massive deficit into a huge surplus. Sounds like what we need in Washington right now, right?
Under Walker’s leadership, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate went from 8.1% to 4.6%, well below the national average. And one of the most important issues to me and my area of the state, he vows as president to roll back the EPA’s burdensome regulations that are harming businesses across America. Every state has an environmental agency, and that’s where he wants to put the regulatory authority instead. That would be a huge plus for Alabama!
Governor Walker is strongly opposed to Obamacare. But unlike most other Republican candidates, he has actually put forward a detailed health care plan to replace Obamacare on day one of his administration. The editors at the conservative National Review called Walker’s health care plan the best-to-date from the Republican field.
He is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and in his first year in office, he signed legislation permitting concealed carry in Wisconsin, along with repealing the 48-hour wait period. He defunded Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin years before those horrendous videos surfaced, and he signed legislation banning abortions after 20 weeks.
On foreign policy, Governor Walker will rebuild our military, stand beside our allies like Israel, and work with our Middle Eastern partners to defeat ISIS, not just run a few bombing missions per day.
I personally believe faith in God is essential to strong leadership in the White House. Scott Walker is a devout Christian, the son of a Baptist pastor, and isn’t afraid to stand for religious liberty and pro-life values when the elites in D.C. would rather people of faith stayed silent.
But not only is he a conservative fighter, Scott Walker can win. In Wisconsin, where President Obama beat Mitt Romney 53%-46%, Governor Walker has won three statewide elections over the past four years, including a bitterly contested recall election in which liberal interest groups spent tens of millions of dollars trying to unseat him.
Conservatives doesn’t need a showman for our Republican nominee, and against Hillary Clinton conservatives can’t settle for someone with no experience governing. After seven years of President Obama, our country also can’t afford to elect another untested senator with no executive leadership experience.
I believe Scott Walker is the proven leader we need in the White House. He has dealt with difficult circumstances, governed under tough times, and won every battle. Let’s nominate a conservative leader who has proven he can fight and win – for Alabama and for America.
Join me in supporting Scott Walker for President!
Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) is chairman of Scott Walker’s Alabama campaign efforts.
