Scott Walker Announces 2016 Bid

Walker Announced He Is Running For President. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced that he is running for the Republican nomination for president on July 13. [ScottWalker.com, accessed 7/13/15]

Right-Wing Media Have Heaped Praise On Walker For Years

Fox's Dagan McDowell: Walker Is “The Unknown Sexy Guy.” On Fox News' Outnumbered, co-host Dagan McDowell praised Walker as the “unknown sexy guy” in the GOP 2016 field. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 2/13/15]

Fox's Andrea Tantaros: Scott Walker Makes “My Toes Curl.” Outnumbered co-host Andrea Tantaros positively compared Walker to fellow-candidate Jeb Bush, saying Walker makes her “toes curl,” but Bush does not. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 3/2/15]

Fox's Brian Kilmeade To Walker: “No One Can Question Your Leadership.” Speaking to Walker on the November 22, 2011, edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Kilmeade told Walker, “No one can question your leadership.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/22/11]

Fox's Mike Gallagher: “Scott Walker Is A Hero. I Mean This Guy Is Beloved To The Heartland America.” Fox News contributor Mike Gallagher called Walker a “hero,” adding that Walker “is beloved to the Heartland America,” and that “Americans are so happy that a governor stood up to these union bullies just like Chris Christie is standing up to the union bullies in New Jersey. We will see more of this. The tide is turning.” [Fox Business, Follow The Money, 7/6/11, via Nexis]

Rush Limbaugh: Walker Is A “Genuine Hero” Who Has Defeated “Every American Labor Union Thug, A Rigged Judiciary, A Rigged Media.” Limbaugh lionized Walker on his November 5, 2014, radio program, stating that “the Republican Party has a genuine star. The Republican Party has a demonstrated, genuine hero and potential star in its ranks, and he is the governor of Wisconsin. His name is Scott Walker.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 11/5/14]

Fox's Sean Hannity On Limbaugh's “Hero” Description Of Walker: “I Say Ditto. I Agree With Him.” Hannity played Limbaugh's comments on his Fox News show, noting “I say ditto. I agree with him.” During an interview with Walker later in the program, Hannity said of Walker's purported jobs achievements in Wisconsin: “Wow! ... I think this is a template or a model that should be duplicated on a national level.” [Fox News, Hannity, 11/7/14]

Jedediah Bila: “You Really Have The Whole Country Cheering Governor Walker On Right Now.” Bila, now a Fox News contributor, said in August 2011 of Walker: “I think it is important to recognize this is not just about Wisconsin, you really have the whole country cheering Governor Walker on right now for digging in his heels and saying enough is enough. And taking on -- taking a strong stand on fiscal discipline and I think he's setting a great example. I mean, what he was doing was really nothing outrageous that everyone needed to be up and arms about.” [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 8/16/11, via Nexis]

Limbaugh Urged Republicans “To Hoist [Walker] On One Of Those Chairs They Used To Take Caesar Through The Crowds With.” On his radio show, Limbaugh criticized the Republican Party for not incorporating “Scott Walker's blueprint” for “how to beat the left”, fight unions and allegedly improve his state's economy. Limbaugh added, “I really think that Scott Walker is the kind of guy that Republicans need to hoist on one of those chairs they used to take Caesar through the crowds with. What he's done in the state of Wisconsin is phenomenal.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 1/26/15]

Ted Nugent: Walker Took Away Wisconsin “From The Hippies ... And Got Some Freedom Back.” Conservative columnist and National Rifle Association board member Ted Nugent claimed in October 2013 that he “worked close with Scott Walker's team in Wisconsin when he took it away from the hippies ... and got some freedom back in Wisconsin.” Walker's office later denied working with Nugent. [Media Matters, 11/7/13; Media Matters, 11/11/13]

Fox & Friends: Walker's Policies “Saved The State” And Could Be A “Blueprint” For The Country. On the August 29, 2012, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, on-air graphics said Walker's Republican policies had “saved the state” and could serve as a “blueprint” to “turn around U.S.”:

[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/29/12]

Dick Morris: “Energetic, Young, Charismatic And Fresh, Walker Provides Just The Kind Of Generational Contrast Hillary Has Most To Fear.” Dick Morris claimed in a column that Walker is “energetic, young, charismatic and fresh,” and added that “From the Republican point of view, he is America's most successful governor.” [Creators Syndicate, 2/4/15]

Laura Ingraham: Walker Is A “Solid, Reagan Conservative.” According to the conservative site Breitbart.com, radio host Laura Ingraham praised Walker as having “stood for the people and he wasn't afraid” of taking on issues like unions and budget reform. She also claimed Walker's “real strength is that he's not a moderate, he's a solid, Reagan conservative.” [Breitbart.com, 1/14/15]