Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has found a friend in conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who’s touting him as the right type of candidate for the GOP to win the next presidential election.
After Walker made a huge impression at the Iowa Freedom Summit on Jan. 24, political pundits came out saying that they believe he has greatly improved his chances of winning the Republican nomination in 2016, according to the
National Journal.
But Limbaugh says he saw it coming all along.
"He has come out of nowhere, and my point is he hasn't come out of nowhere," Limbaugh said on his show about Walker. "He's been front and center but unreported on. But Republicans and conservative voters and so forth know exactly who he is and what he stands for."
Limbaugh had barely mentioned Walker during his program last month while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and 2012 nominee Mitt Romney were grabbing all the conversation. But following the acclaimed performance in Iowa, Limbaugh cannot seem to speak enough about Walker.
After three weeks without a mention by Limbaugh, Walker’s name appears 200 times in transcripts of "The Rush Limbaugh Show" over the last week of January and the first week of February, according to the National Journal.
“The important thing about Scott Walker — I mean, all of a sudden people are saying, 'Who is this guy? Where'd this guy go to get a charisma transplant?'" Limbaugh said in a Jan. 29 segment. "He's always been who he is. It's just that he's never been touted."
The Journal says that although Limbaugh has often stated he’s not officially endorsing Walker, he’s been hyping the governor for the last two years as "the blueprint for the Republican Party if they are serious about beating the left."
Limbaugh praised Walker’s speech at the Iowa summit, while taking credit for promoting the GOP governor as presidential material and claiming that his show fueled the “Scott Walker bandwagon” that began rolling at the end of last month.
"I wanted to find the earliest mention of Scott Walker as a man showing the way — with a blueprint, how to win — and how long I've been talking about this, and how long I was the only one talking about it," Limbaugh said on Jan. 30. "Now to see all the people getting on the bandwagon — which I did (previously)."
The Journal also noted that Walker’s speech in Iowa was part of a "boomlet" he’s experienced in recent weeks due to "a few well-received speeches, increased attention, and heady public poll results."