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Scott Walker

Scott Walker

Scott Walker, a Republican, is the former governor of Wisconsin. He was first elected in November 2010. He survived a recall election in 2012, defeating Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett after igniting controversy with a bill curtailing public-employee union collective-bargaining rights. He won re-election to a four-year term in November 2014 and was a 2016 presidential candidate before dropping out in September of 2015. He was defeated by Tony Evers in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Walker is a former Milwaukee County executive and former member of the state Assembly.

Scott Walker Website

Scorecard

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0% 27 Checks

mostly true

0% 46 Checks

half true

0% 39 Checks

mostly false

0% 41 Checks

false

0% 44 Checks

Pants on Fire

0% 11 Checks

For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact

Latest Fact-Checks By Scott Walker

Clear

Scott Walker
stated on March 3, 2024 TV interview:

“We just had 100% increase in layoffs.”

Mostly True

By Ricardo Torres • March 29, 2024

Scott Walker
stated on January 21, 2024 TV interview:

"(The) top issue for college students is the economy."

True

By Hope Karnopp • February 2, 2024

Scott Walker
stated on May 30, 2023 Interview:

“Wisconsin has historically … and I think largely continues to be, a blue state.”

Mostly False

By Laura Schulte • October 31, 2023

Scott Walker
stated on January 5, 2023 Twitter:

“Let’s be clear: ‘drag shows’ are strip shows.”

False

By Laura Schulte • January 25, 2023

Scott Walker
stated on January 1, 2023 Twitter:

“Every pro-life Governor up for election in November won – by a large margin.”

Mostly True

By Madeline Heim • January 13, 2023

Scott Walker
stated on January 26, 2021 a Facebook post:

“The U.S. Senate cannot convict a former President.”

Mostly False

By Eric Litke • January 28, 2021

Scott Walker
stated on June 5, 2020 a tweet:

There are state workers who are "idle" at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Half-True

By Lawrence Andrea • June 17, 2020

Scott Walker
stated on February 24, 2020 a tweet:

"Bernie (Sanders) is a communist."

False

By Eric Litke • March 4, 2020

Scott Walker
stated on May 30, 2019 a tweet:

"Wisconsin is a Top 10 state for health care coverage."

True

By Eric Litke • June 25, 2019

Scott Walker
stated on January 16, 2019 a tweet:

During the three times the top marginal tax rates were lowered in the 20th century, "revenues actually went up while the economy improved in America."

Mostly False

By Eric Litke • February 5, 2019

Scott Walker
stated on December 3, 2018 a session with reporters:

On taking major actions in a lame-duck session.

Full Flop

By Eric Litke • December 7, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on October 23, 2018 a campaign ad:

Says Tony Evers wants to give in-state tuition and drivers licenses to "illegal aliens."

Mostly True

By Eric Litke, Tom Kertscher • November 2, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on October 9, 2018 a video:

Says Tony Evers will "raise the gas tax by as much as a dollar a gallon."

Mostly False

By Tom Kertscher • October 24, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on September 20, 2018 a TV ad:

Says Tony Evers will "raise property taxes, raise income taxes and raise gas taxes by as much as a dollar a gallon."

Half-True

By Tom Kertscher • October 11, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on September 17, 2018 a poll:

"Tony Evers says that tax dollars should pay for the abortions just like they pay for tonsillectomies."

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • September 26, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on September 12, 2018 a TV ad:

Says Tony Evers "wants to cut Wisconsin's prison population in half, a dangerous plan that today would mean releasing thousands of violent criminals back into our communities."

Half-True

By Tom Kertscher • September 21, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on September 5, 2018 a TV ad:

"A teacher watched hard-core pornography in his classroom," along with other inappropriate behavior, but Tony Evers didn't revoke the teacher's license and "the teacher is still in the classroom."

Mostly False

By Tom Kertscher • September 13, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on August 7, 2018 a tweet:

"A number of Democrats running for governor want to cut the prison population by 50%" and "that would require the release of thousands of violent felons."

Half-True

By Tom Kertscher • August 9, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on June 19, 2018 a TV ad:

Says he made "a record investment in schools."

Mostly False

By Tom Kertscher • August 3, 2018

Scott Walker
stated on May 13, 2018 a TV interview:

"By law, Democrats gave the superintendent of public instruction, back in 2009, the ability to take over failing schools … The current superintendent has failed to do that."

False

By D.L. Davis • July 5, 2018

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Latest Fact-Checks About Scott Walker

Tony Evers
stated on December 9, 2018 an interview:

"At least three or four of the pieces that are in" in the Republican lame-duck legislation, Scott Walker "has vetoed previously."

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • December 13, 2018

Tony Evers
stated on September 26, 2018 a campaign ad:

"Under Scott Walker, the Department of Corrections has only 18 people tracking 25,000 sex offenders" and "there are nearly 3,000 sex offenders that are unaccounted for."

Mostly False

By D.L. Davis • October 29, 2018

Tony Evers
stated on October 9, 2018 a TV ad:

"Wisconsin pays 50% more than Minnesota for the same health care."

Mostly False

By Tom Kertscher • October 22, 2018

Tony Evers
stated on October 10, 2018 a campaign video:

Says Scott Walker supports "a health care plan that would gut protections for pre-existing conditions."

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • October 18, 2018

Tony Evers
stated on August 27, 2018 a TV ad:

Says Scott Walker refused federal funds and "Wisconsin families now pay nearly 50% more than Minnesotans for the same health care."

Mostly False

By Eric Litke • September 7, 2018

Tony Evers
stated on July 22, 2018 a candidates forum:

"Since Scott Walker has been our governor, we’ve gone from 50 percent state funding for the" University of Wisconsin System "to 15 percent."

False

By Tom Kertscher • August 6, 2018

Mahlon Mitchell
stated on June 19, 2018 an interview:

Says Scott Walker "has cut more from public education than he's put back in, obviously. He took $1.6 billion and some change away and then puts back $630 million and he's calling that progress."

Mostly False

By Tom Kertscher • August 1, 2018

Kelda Helen Roys
stated on April 18, 2018 a tweet and campaign event:

Wisconsin lost "almost 4,000 manufacturing jobs in 2017."

False

By Taylor Palmby • July 23, 2018

Dana Wachs
stated on April 11, 2018 an interview:

Says Scott Walker "has turned down $1 billion of Medicaid money over the course of his tenure."

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • June 15, 2018

Kelda Helen Roys
stated on May 2, 2018 an interview:

Says that under Scott Walker, on a percentage basis, Wisconsin is "spending twice as much on debt service for just basic road repair and maintenance" than before he took office.

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • June 11, 2018

Tony Evers
stated on March 23, 2018 an interview:

Says that despite a recent increase in school funding, Scott Walker "has taken over a billion dollars from the public schools."

Mostly False

By Tom Kertscher • April 20, 2018

Kelda Helen Roys
stated on December 11, 2017 a candidates forum:

In 2011 under Scott Walker, Wisconsin for the first time spent "more on our prison system than we did" on the University of Wisconsin System.

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • January 12, 2018

Matt Flynn
stated on November 4, 2017 a news release:

Under Scott Walker, "average wages, when adjusted for inflation, are lower today than they were under Jim Doyle."

Half-True

By Andrew Mollica, Tom Kertscher • November 17, 2017

Scot Ross
stated on November 3, 2017 an interview:

"Since 2015, Scott Walker has not done a public event where you don't have to pay admission or be on an approved list."

Half-True

By Tom Kertscher • November 15, 2017

Tony Evers
stated on October 4, 2017 a video:

"Job creation fell by 70 percent in Wisconsin in 2016" under Scott Walker.

Mostly True

By Tom Kertscher • October 18, 2017

Kathleen Vinehout
stated on August 6, 2017 a TV interview:

Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin is "still 16,000 manufacturing jobs lower than we were during the recession."

Mostly True

By Alan Hovorka • August 30, 2017

Andy Gronik
stated on July 14, 2017 a TV interview:

Says Scott Walker "has taken money away from internet expansion in our state."

Mostly False

By Devi Shastri • August 10, 2017

Andy Gronik
stated on July 11, 2017 an interview:

Wisconsin is "dead-last in creating new businesses" for "three years in a row."

Half-True

By Andrew Mollica, Tom Kertscher • July 26, 2017

Mark Pocan
stated on June 8, 2017 a radio interview:

Says Scott Walker recently said "he got his bald spot from hitting his head on a cabinet, and it's not a joke, he actually said that his bald spot came because he hit his head on a cabinet."

Mostly True

By D.L. Davis • July 3, 2017

Mark Pocan
stated on June 2, 2017 a speech at the state Democratic convention:

"Seven years later, (Scott Walker) has not hit his first campaign promise of creating 250,000 jobs."

True

By Alan Hovorka • June 23, 2017

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