What’s On the Agenda for GOP Governors Running for President?

[Valin]

National Review/The Corner:

John Fund

December 19, 2014

 

Many Republicans believe that their next presidential nominee is likely to be a governor or former governor. The experience of watching Barack Obama’s floundering presidency has soured many voters on elevating senators who’ve never managed more than a personal staff to the Oval Office. Among the potential GOP candidates with executive experience are former Florida governor Jeb Bush, retiring governor Rick Perry of Texas, and sitting governors Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, John Kasich of Ohio, and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

 

If the GOP nominee is a sitting governor, journalists and party activists will want to know what issues they will be emphasizing back home with their legislatures in the coming year. Chris Christie, largely out from the shadow of his Bridgegate scandal, will be tackling the state’s public-pension liabilities, a state proxy for the federal entitlement crisis. Bobby Jindal will be plugging a $180 million annual deficit in his state’s budget, a test of his ability to cut spending. John Kasich will be trying to reduce the state’s income-tax rate as well as passing tougher regulations on charter-school operators.

 

But perhaps the most extensive agenda will be pursued by Wisconsin’s Scott Walker. Since he won reelection by six points in November, his aides have indicated he wants to continue lowering taxes, push to expand school choice, and replace the federal Common Core education standards. He also will try to have food-stamp and unemployment benefit recipients undergo drug testing, in part so they can show employers they are capable of holding jobs. As of now, he doesn’t plan any new dramatic assaults on the public-employee unions whose power he curbed in 2011 legislation.

 

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