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MILWAUKEE (AP) – In front of a beer pasteurization tank at a Milwaukee manufacturing company, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker observed ex-governor Tommy Thompson urging a Republican-friendly crowd to help Walker at the same time. In his run for the third term, extremely precarious.
"I know the recipe works," said Thompson, waving his arms and wearing a bright red sweater under his jacket, on a cool October day. "The recipe is Scott Walker, you know, like a good chocolate chip cookie, it kind of melts in your mouth, you know it's really good."
But the old recipe for victory might not work in a mid-term election where Democrats seem poised to succeed across the country. Walker has problems with disturbing polls and he is sounding the alarm bells to supporters. The Democrats, after years of failure and frustration, dare to hope they can finally kill their political white whale.
If the former presidential candidate and the rising Republican star were losing, this would be considered one of the biggest setbacks of the mid-term election because of his record in recent elections. Difficult situations before – the winning election and reelection despite the two victories won by Barack Obama in his state back on a 2012 recall attempt by democrats enraged by his attack on public sector unions.
Walker's defeat against Tony Evers, the stealthy state superintendent, 66, who loves Egg McMuffins and plays the euchre card game, would also give Democrats hope for the future in a state that Republicans have mastered. for eight years. .
Walker's approval rate remains below 50% and President Donald Trump's rate is worse, even though he took the state two years ago. Critical independent voters who favored Walker seem to be democrats. While the Wisconsin economy is in full swing and polls show that people believe that the state is going in the right direction, they are also at the crossroads of Walker on the main issues that they are facing. Evers tries to exploit, including health care, education and roads.
Evers is committed to reversing the perverse effects of Walker's fiscal austerity, which Walker attributes to the revival of the economy.
"I have found on our children's faces how much Scott Walker's cuts in the public education sector have been devastated," said Evers, a former teacher and administrator, referring to cuts of 700 millions of dollars in the education budget, some of which have been restored thereafter. . "I've seen parents and families struggle with rising health care costs and stagnant wages."
Walker insists that he can argue for reelection.
Wearing a warm-up jacket from the Milwaukee Brewers to celebrate his team's playoff series, he strongly criticized the Milwaukee Rally, citing an unemployment rate close to a record low of 2.8% as well as tax cuts. , budgets and regulations that he had imposed. He promised more money for schools.
"The people of this state do not want to go back," Walker said, "they want to go forward."
Ted Kieper, 75, a supporter of Walker at the event, said that he did not understand why Walker was in a tight race given the strength of the economy.
"I hope the polls are wrong, as in the presidential election," he said.
Recent polls have shown a persistent lack of enthusiasm for Republicans, fueling the optimism of Democrats who have already won two special parliamentary elections and won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court this year. Adding to Walker's sense of vulnerability: no less than four of his former secretaries of cabinet have publicly spoken out against his reelection, and two have cut ads for his opponent.
With many leftwing voters inflamed by Trump – who is campaigning in central Wisconsin this week for Walker and other Republicans – Wisconsin US Senator Tammy Baldwin holds a double-digit lead over Republican challenger Leah Vukmir, despite heavy expenses of the GOP in this race.
At the August primary poll, about 20 percent more voters cast ballots for the Democratic governor than at the Republican primary for the Senate.
"When he ran before, they were all in a very good Republican environment, where Republicans did well in Wisconsin, they did well all over the country," said University Political Science professor. Marquette, Paul Nolette. "This year is very different."
But the Democrats have already been burned by false optimism.
Democratic strategist Patrick Guarasci said: "They can not" touch the ball on the 5-meter line. "Victory will require every possible Democratic voter to go to the polls," he said.
In 2014, Walker won by more than five points over Democrat Tom Barrett after the elections the previous month had taken place.
"He will be in every corner of the state from now until November and he will not be overwhelmed," said longtime Republican strategist Stephan Thompson.
Walker, the son of a 50-year-old Baptist preacher, has led a conservative revolution since becoming governor in 2011. In addition to reducing the benefits to public sector unions, he has made Wisconsin has a rule of law at work and has signed a voter law, and has reduced environmental regulation, which has made it a national political figure, although the presidential bid for 2016 has faded early.
Walker will participate in a proven exit vote operation. He and his allies spent more than twice as much money on TV advertising.
Evers has focused on improving public services and health care, promising to abandon Wisconsin to a pending lawsuit involving the Affordable Care Act. He promised to increase funding for schools by 10%, end the corporate tax credit, and eventually increase the gas tax to repair bad roads.
"Scott Walker has made a decision after a decision, a benefit for himself and his wealthy donors and not for what benefits us, the people of Wisconsin," he said.
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Carrie Antlfinger, Associated Press Editor, contributed to this report.
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Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbauerAP
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