http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-set-to-file-papers-to-run-for-president-today-b99531061z1-311437521.htmlGov. Scott Walker is making it official that he is running for president — sort of.
Wisconsin's Republican governor filed papers with the Federal Election Commission Thursday "after hearing from countless Americans" during his testing the waters stage, an aide said.
"While I have not yet announced whether I will be a candidate for President of the United States, I have received contributions of more than $5,000 within the last 15 days," Walker wrote in a Thursday letter to the FEC. "Should I formally announce, I will seek the Republican nomination for the office of President of the United States in the 2016 election."
Rather than filing what's known as a "statement of candidacy," he instead filed a "statement of organization" for a committee named Scott Walker Inc, which listed its address as a P.O. box in Middleton. Kate Lind, who has previously served as treasurer for Friends of Scott Walker, is listed as the treasurer in the FEC filing.
Walker is set to make his formal announcement in Waukesha on July 13, a date first reported by Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel.
Walker is also expected to provide a glimpse at the first of nine pieces of the Walker for president logo Thursday night on Instagram, with a new piece being revealed each day.
Walker has for months been stepping up his travel around the country and internationally, and hiring political staff members, before his 2016 bid.
Walker's plans to file Thursday were first reported by Politico.
He is set to join an already crowded 2016 GOP field. Walker would be the 15th major candidate seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Others include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former surgeon Ben Carson, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen Rand Paul, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Walker will be among the last of the major candidates to get in the presidential race. He has been doing well in polls in key early primary states, such as Iowa, although his lead has been shrinking as more candidates enter the race.
A total of 437 people have filed to run for president in 2016 so far, the FEC online records show.
The first GOP presidential debate is just over a month away. It's scheduled for Aug. 6 in Cleveland.
Walker repeatedly said he planned to announce his 2016 presidential plans after the budget was signed.
Then, Wisconsin's state budget impasse dragged on week after week as his fellow Republicans who control the Legislature clashed over key issues like transportation funding, public spending on a new downtown Milwaukee arena for the Bucks and overhauling the state's prevailing wage law.
Last month, he said his 2016 announcement would come after the fiscal year ended on June 30.
"For us, my goal has always been to get through the end of the budget year, which ends June 30th. We'll see after that. Sometime in July is a pretty good time," Walker told reporters at the time.
The timing is tight, but Walker may still be able to sign the state budget before his official July 13 announcement.
On Thursday, the state's budget committee met for the first time in a month in an effort to finalize the state's two-year spending plan.
Also on Thursday, Walker greeted President Barack Obama on the airport tarmac in La Crosse.
Walker and Obama have clashed over several issues, including right-to-work legislation, the Affordable Care Act, Cuba and Iran.
The two men also traded barbs over Walker's move to all but end collective bargaining for most of Wisconsin's public workers, a measure known as Act 10. Walker's proposal, which he unveiled soon after taking office in early 2011, thrust the governor into the national spotlight after it drew tens of thousands of protesters to the state Capitol in Madison.
It also triggered a wave of recall elections targeting Walker and others. In June 2012, he became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall, which further boosted his popularity among conservatives around the country.
Obama has also taken swipes at Walker's foreign policy credentials, suggesting in April that the governor might support his work to reach a new pact with Iran "after he's taken some time to bone up on foreign policy."
Earlier this week, Walker criticized Obama's plan to expand overtime pay, which the president is touting during his visit to Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Democrats dismissed Walker's latest 2016 move, again criticizing him as an absentee governor.
"It's no surprise that Scott Walker is busy filing to run for president and not working to finalize his 'crap budget,' " said Martha Laning, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, referring to a description made this spring by a Republican lawmaker. "The real news here is that Scott Walker will be in Wisconsin twice this month."
