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 Walker rose to national prominence by defeating a 2012 recall
election that grew from his challenge to the collective bargaining
process for most public employee unions in Wisconsin. He won his
first term as governor in 2010 and was re-elected in November.
"My record shows that I know how to fight and win. Now, more than
ever, we need a president who will fight and win for America," he
said.
Walker, in an announcement speech full of homespun stories about his
humble roots, from flipping burgers at McDonald's to buying discount
clothes, became the 15th candidate in the wide-open race for the
Republican nomination.
Despite entering the campaign relatively late, Walker is among the
Republican leaders in opinion polls.
 His resume electrifies conservatives and is a lightning rod for
criticism from Democrats unhappy with his anti-union,
anti-government views. The president of the AFL-CIO union alliance,
Richard Trumka, on Monday called Walker a "national disgrace."
In a sign of the tense feelings that still surround Walker in
Wisconsin, a state that typically votes for Democrats in
presidential elections, a small plane flew above the event site
towing a banner that read "Scott Walker has a Koch problem."
Brothers Charles and David Koch use their vast wealth to advance
conservative causes.
Sleeves rolled up and wearing no necktie, Walker delivered his
announcement speech entirely from memory with no notes or
TelePrompter.
"Instead of the top-down, government-knows-best approach we hear
from politicians in Washington, we need to build the economy from
the ground up in a way that is new and fresh, organic and dynamic,"
Walker said.
'NAME FROM THE FUTURE'
He would repeal President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law
and approve the Keystone XL pipeline stalled by Obama. As governor,
he has cut taxes and spending. The state budget he signed on Sunday
cut $250 million from the University of Wisconsin system.
"Our big, bold reforms in Wisconsin took the power from the big
government special interests and put it firmly into the hands of the
hard-working taxpayers," he said.
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The 47-year-old Walker has presented himself as a fresh-faced
alternative to establishment favorite Jeb Bush, the former Florida
governor. Bush has built a substantial financial edge and leads many
polls but still faces questions about whether a third Bush
presidency is in order after the White House tenures of his father
and brother, and whether he could beat Democratic front-runner
Hillary Clinton in the November 2016 election.
"I don't think a name from the past beats a name from the past. I
think you need a name from the future," Walker told ABC News when
asked about Bush in an interview broadcast on Monday.
Walker, in his speech, took some early steps to try to quiet
Republican concerns about his inexperience on national security,
after drawing fire earlier this year for saying his fight against
the unions had prepared him for battle against Islamic State
militants.
He pledged an aggressive foreign policy if elected president in
November 2016. He singled out China and Russia as needing to face
American muscle.
"The United States needs a foreign policy that puts steel in front
of our enemies," he said.
Walker pointed to the presence of Kevin Hermening, who was among the
Americans held hostage by Iran in 1979, as a reason why the Iran
nuclear deal Obama is negotiating with Tehran should be abandoned.
As for Obama's declaration that climate change is a national
security threat, Walker begged to differ.
"The greatest threat to future generations is radical Islamic
terrorism and we need to do something about it," he said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Tom Brown and Cynthia
Osterman)
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