Scott Walker | |
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45th Governor of Wisconsin | |
Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
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Lieutenant | Rebecca Kleefisch |
Preceded by | Jim Doyle |
5th Executive of Milwaukee County | |
In office April 30, 2002 – December 27, 2010 |
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Preceded by | Janine Geske (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Lee Holloway (Acting) |
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th district |
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In office June 30, 1993 – April 30, 2002 |
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Preceded by | Peggy Rosenzweig |
Succeeded by | Leah Vukmir |
Personal details | |
Born |
Scott Kevin Walker November 2, 1967 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Tonette Tarantino (1993–present) |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Governor's Mansion |
Education | Marquette University |
Signature | |
Website | Official website |
Scott Kevin Walker (born November 2, 1967) is the 45th and current Governor of Wisconsin. First elected governor in the 2010 Wisconsin general election, he won a 2012 recall election and was reelected governor in the 2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. He also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and as the Milwaukee County Executive.
Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Walker was raised in Iowa and in Delavan, Wisconsin, before attending Marquette University. He left Marquette before graduating to take a full-time job with the American Red Cross. Walker was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1992, representing a district in western Milwaukee County. In 2002, Walker was elected County Executive in a special election following the resignation of F. Thomas Ament; he was elected for a full term in 2004 and was reelected in 2008, defeating state Senator Lena Taylor.
Walker campaigned for Governor of Wisconsin in 2006 and ran again in 2010, defeating Democrat Tom Barrett in the general election. Shortly after his inauguration in 2011, Walker introduced a budget plan which limited the collective bargaining of most Wisconsin public employees. The response to Walker's policies included protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol and an effort to recall Walker. In the 2012 recall election, Walker again defeated Barrett, becoming the first American governor to survive a recall effort.