News outlets continue to question Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's departure from college before earning a degree,
The Washington Post said in a story tracing his early years from a reluctant Marquette University student to his ascension as a successful politico.
While Democrats have continued to seed stories that he was kicked out or left under a cloud, and while other media continue to delve into the specifics of why he left before graduating,
Politifact, in investigating Walker's higher education back story, determined such insinuation of any scandal was untrue.
"Gov. Scott Walker was a student at Marquette from fall of 1986 until spring 1990 and was a senior in good standing when he voluntarily withdrew from Marquette," the university noted in a statement, Politifact said.
Politifact added that there were no bad conduct infractions or academic issues on Walker's record at the university when he departed, citing an interview from December 2013 with the school's spokesman Brian Dorrington.
What emerged from stories about his past was Walker was not an invested student, doing poorly in French class where he was always late. Rather, he was focused on politics the whole time, keeping a Ronald Reagan photo on his dorm room desk and making a failed run for student body president, which he lost by 15 percent, the Post said.
"Not even his friends at Marquette were entirely sure why he never finished," the Post said of his departure, adding that "Walker clearly liked college politics more than college itself."
Later, after leaving Marquette, he would lose an early election but follow up with major successes, winning 11 races in succession since 1993 — from state legislature to county executive to governor — on a hot career trajectory that has led him to be re-elected as governor after a major union battle, and now to ponder a White House run.
While questions remain as to why he left, Walker clearly looks back fondly on his college days. He crashed his class's 20-year reunion in 2010,
Politico noted.
Walker needed 34 credits to earn a bachelor's degree and maintained a 2.59 GPA during his tenure at Marquette, Politico said.
He retains close ties with the school, Politico noted. He and his wife Tonette wed on campus, and his son is a junior there today.
Politico said that if Walker were to win a White House bid, he would be the first president since Harry Truman not to have earned a degree.
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