Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is launching his campaign for the
2016 GOP presidential nomination on Monday, will be aiming to augment his image from "authentic," "real" and "approachable" to "smart" and "sophisticated,"
The New York Times reported.
"Scott is working on that," Ed Goeas, a veteran Republican pollster and senior adviser to Walker, told the Times. "Look, 'approachable' is worth its weight in gold in politics. 'Smart' is something voters look for in legislators who craft policy. But Scott is preparing hard to talk about every issue."
A number of leading Republicans and voters say that Walker's challenge will be to convince voters he has the credibility to get elected, particularly after he had some early stumbles that alarmed party leaders and donors. He has since been through a rigorous round of policy tutorials, according to the Times.
"Whether Mr. Walker can demonstrate that he has a command of the challenges facing America, and is big enough for the presidency, will be tested in the coming weeks on the campaign trail and in televised debates," the Times said.
Iowa GOP Gov. Terry Branstad said Walker had "a lot going for him given that he's a neighboring state governor who has been tried and tested on tough issues."
"Iowa is a state that rewards candidates who work hard," he said. "And I think Governor Walker will benefit if he shows he has done the work to be ready to lead."
The Times said that many Republicans are unsure of what to expect from Walker as he steps up his profile to actively campaign.
"If Walker comes across as very credible, he has the political record and the message to do very well in the New Hampshire primary," Judd Gregg, a former three-term senator from New Hampshire, told the Times. "But again, he has to be credible."
Concerns abound about his mastery of the issues both on national security and domestic policy.
"His lack of knowledge in the foreign policy area has been a problem because, well, you want your commander in chief to be confident on those issues," Bruce Perlo, chairman of the Grafton County Republican Committee in New Hampshire, told the Times.
Advisers have said that Walker has recognized the weakness and addressed it by attending lengthy meetings on the Islamic State (ISIS), Iran, Russia, and military and geopolitical confrontations as well as other domestic issues, the Times reported.
He has also met or spoken with foreign leaders in recent months, including Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, David Cameron of Britain and Stephen Harper of Canada; Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia; as well as retired military leaders and ambassadors, the Times said.
"A lot of us are still worried about Walker's off-the-cuff answer, and about how Walker will handle himself when the real shooting starts in Iowa, when the television attack ads and direct-mail pieces start hitting him," a Republican who leads a prominent national conservative group told the Times.