Scott Walker for Governor
Scott Walker on his "brown bag" bus tour, which was meant to illustrate his financial responsibility. Whoops.
When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was first elected in 2010, his campaign was largely built on the notion that he would transfer the Spartan frugality he demonstrates in his personal life to the entire state of Wisconsin.
One ad featured him at the wheel of his 12-year-old Saturn; another had him packing his daily lunch in a brown paper bag. In the closing weeks of the campaign, Walker sent out millions of "brown bag" mailers and went on a "Brown Bag Tour" of the state in a bus that was decorated as a giant brown bag. The side of the bus featured handwritten notes declaring: "Don’t Spend More Than You Have,” and “Small Government is Better Government.”
In 2015, Walker launched his presidential campaign on a similar premise, except, instead of a Saturn and brown bag lunches, he used shopping at the Kohl's department store, saving up "Kohl's Cash," and purportedly claiming to pay only one dollar to buy a sweater at the store.
But Walker's presidential Public Finance Disclosure report, filed in 2015, showed he owed tens of thousands in high-interest credit card debt. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Walker's Barclays card, with a balance of at least ten thousand dollars, had an interest rate of 27.24 percent.
Walker defended himself by claiming that the media's characterization of his high credit card balance was "exaggerated," and that the report was a snapshot in time representing a recent spike in holiday spending and that "much of that's gone right now."
The Progressive decided to follow that up on that explanation, and reviewed Scott Walker's most recent annual financial disclosures. We found that the governor has carried credit debt of at least $10,000 since 2012.
Walker’s 2017 Statement of Economic Interest (covering the 2016 calendar year) shows that Wisconsin’s thrifty Governor owes between five and fifty thousand dollars on his Sears credit card and five to fifty thousand dollars on his Barclays Master Card.
Despite selling his Wauwatosa home last year, Walker also still carries loans of up to fifty thousand from Securant Bank, Wells Fargo, and Think Bank, along with over fifty thousand in student loans.
A look at the Wisconsin state budget might lead a person to say Walker has indeed transferred his personal financial tendencies to the governor's office.
When Walker first took office in 2011, Wisconsin was one of only ten states to have a general fund state deficit. A key reason for this was because the state used non-GAAP (Generally Approved Accounting Practices) "tricks" when reporting on the budget.
Businesses typically use GAAP to prepare annual shareholder reports, and one of Walker's key 2010 planks was to move Wisconsin to GAAP accounting techniques.
In the name of balancing the state budget, Walker made deep cuts to public schools and other services, and also introduced massive tax cuts.
In their latest comparison, the Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance, shows that Wisconsin is still one of only six states that still has a general fund deficit.
Their analysis also shows Wisconsin's deficit per capita ranks second in the country—up from fourth place when Walker first took office. Illinois is in first place at -$533 per capita, followed by Wisconsin at -$309. Wisconsin’s midwestern neighbors, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, all had GAAP surpluses in 2015, as did 40 other states.
Wisconsin's deficit per capita ranks second in the country—up from fourth place when Walker first took office.
At the same time, in response to state cuts, local school districts have reached record-high borrowing levels.
To top it off, despite seven years in office and strong Republican majorities in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate, Walker has never changed Wisconsin's non-GAAP accounting practices. He can still say Wisconsin "remains in the red."
The list of gifts received by Walker.
Walker’s Statement of Economic Interest also includes the list of all the gifts that Walker received in 2016. Two people gave Walker switchblades, presumably in appreciation of Walker legalization of mechanized pop-up knives. Walker also got three bottles of tequila and a poncho during his trip last year to Mexico.
What did Walker's gubernatorial staff give to a man that has always had his eye on the presidency and arguably traveled outside the state more than any governor in Wisconsin history?
A new suitcase.