Walker campaign: Stories of demise ‘ridiculous’

Simi Valley, California — Scott Walker’s campaign isn’t panicking over his slide in the polls.

Presidential contender Walker arrived in Simi Valley for the second Republican debate, with pundits and analysts calling it the 11th hour for the Wisconsin governor, who has suffered the most severe slide in the polls of any candidate since the rise of Donald Trump.

{mosads}In a brief interview with The Hill at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Walker’s campaign manager Rick Wiley shot back at the critics, some of whom are calling Simi Valley Walker’s last stand.

“That’s ridiculous,” Wiley said. “It’s the second debate of the season. He’s introducing himself to the country. He’s going to come out and present his plan for the future. I think he’s in good shape.”

Walker completed his debate preparations on Tuesday with a walk-through in which he stood at a podium to mimic the scene he’ll face on Wednesday night.

“We had a great debate prep,” Wiley said. “He’s ready to go.”

Wiley said Walker will seek opportunities to stick out more, a difficult task with 10 other candidates on stage fighting for time.

Walker faded into the background at the first debate, and was criticized for not using his full allotted speaking time on several occasions.

Walker told Fox News’s Megyn Kelly on Monday night that he’ll “be aggressive, show passion” and “show the kind of energy that got us to that recall victory in Wisconsin.”

Wiley said he’ll also be on the lookout for chances to take on front-runner Trump.

“You engage when you can and see where the opportunities are,” Wiley said.