Walker touts recall victory in new ad

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) exploratory committee teased his upcoming presidential announcement with a Tuesday online ad touting his victory in a recall election sparked by his move to strip public-sector unions of their bargaining rights.

“On a cold, windswept day, Scott Walker solemnly took the oath of office,” the ad says. “His state faced a staggering deficit. Unemployment lines were long, so he took big, bold action. The left erupted. They stormed the capitol. But Scott Walker stood his ground, unintimidated.”

Walker’s clash with liberals in 2012 attracted hundreds of thousands of protesters and thrust the governor into the national spotlight.

{mosads}That story, including the threats his family faced during that time, has become a frequent touchstone for Walker on the campaign trail and will likely be the cornerstone of his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

In the video, Walker gets an assist from Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican nominee for vice president in 2012.

“He told people who he was, what he believed, what he was going to do, and he got elected, then he did it,” Ryan says in the ad. “And his reforms are working.”

“He balanced the budget; he lowered taxes; he’s turning our economy around, reforming our schools,” Ryan continues. “Courage is on the ballot. What the left is trying to do, is send a message to any other reformer like Scott Walker — don’t dare try this because we’ll get you next.”

On the campaign trail, Walker often recounts how he and Ryan worked at the same burger joint chain as teens.

Ryan introduced Walker to lawmakers in Washington earlier this year, as the Wisconsin governor sought to make new allies on Capitol Hill.

Walker will launch his bid for the White House on Monday from the suburbs of Milwaukee. He will begin the race with a healthy lead in Iowa and trails only Jeb Bush nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.