Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker believes Mitt Romney is a "good man and would have been a good president," but now that the former Massachusetts governor has officially backed out of the 2016 race, Walker would like his support among the list of possible Republican presidential hopefuls.
"I would love to have his endorsement," Walker told Fox News Channel's Bret Baier during a segment that aired Friday of an interview that will be running as part of a series surrounding potential 2016 candidates.
At the same time, Walker said that he thinks it is "a time for new fresh ideas," and he appreciates "the fact in his comments that he pointed out it is time to maybe pass the torch and look for new leadership."
Walker, who took a call from Romney while he was being interviewed by Baier, said that there is no doubt that Romney's decision not to mount a third try at the presidency changes the Republican landscape.
"Now that he made it official he is not running, there is a number of prospective candidates who will be [coming] out eagerly," Walker told Baier.
Walker may be one of those people. The Wisconsin governor has not yet made his intentions about the 2016 race official, but
following a star turn at last weekend's Iowa Freedom Summit, he has become a larger part of the buzz surrounding the wide number of Republicans considering bids.
"Probably the person who helped himself the most would be Scott Walker," Iowa Rep. Steve King, who sponsored the event, said. "The bar wasn't as high, and he gave a good speech. He connected with the audience in a good, constructive way."