Republicans Need to Focus on the Scott Walker Recall Election

While most politicos concentrate on the GOP primary race, which is red hot going into South Carolina, there is going to be another vital election this summer—in Wisconsin.

A powerful team of Democrats and labor unions are forcing Gov. Scott Walker to run for office for the second time in under two years. Why? Because when he faced the fourth largest deficit in the country at the beginning of his term, Walker dared to take on the unions that were crippling his state.

It appears that the recall election will be held sometime midsummer, and GOP faithful all around the country should pay very close attention.

[See pictures of the Wisconsin protests.]

The recall election in Wisconsin is very important for three reasons:

1. It will determine if Republicans nationwide are willing to take on the unions
2. It will be a bellwether for the November House, Senate, and presidential contests
3. It will determine Walker's political future

A Walker loss would send a message that unions, no matter how much damage they are doing to the economy and their members, cannot be touched. However, if the GOP is able to match the Democrat-union enthusiasm and keep him in office, other Republicans will be willing to fight the unions state by state and nationwide.

[Read Doug Heye: Time for Unions to Face the Reality of a Changing Economy]

Moreover, a Walker win will set the stage in Wisconsin for House, Senate and presidential elections. Republicans can realistically gain two of Wisconsin's House seats as well as the open Senate seat, which would be vital to gaining control on Capitol Hill. Further, while Wisconsin has gone consistently to Democrat presidential candidates since 1988, it did so by the narrowest margin in the country in 2000 and 2004. The state is effectively split down the middle and a win by Walker is likely to tilt it in the GOP's favor in November.

Finally, and very importantly, it is crucial for Republicans to keep Walker in office and on the national stage. His message is crisply concentrated on the six words Republicans need to focus on to be successful—Small Government, Low Taxes, National Security.

A Walker defeat would be a significant setback for Republicans across the country and that's why Republicans across the country have to keep it firmly in their sights.

• Read about the 10 cities that have the most union members.
  
• Check out how the AFL-CIO could threaten Obama's re-election.
  
• See a collection of political cartoons on the economy.

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