LA CROSSE ,Wisconsin (WXOW) – Governor Scott Walker and La Crosse County Republican Chair Julian Bradley both reacted favorably Monday to parts of a proposal put forth by Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus to reinvigorate the GOP.
Priebus has called for fewer debates during the Republican primary process.
The 2012 primary season featured more than 20.
"We had way too many debates with our candidates slicing and dicing each other," Priebus said Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation.
Governor Scott Walker said he supported the proposal while on a stop at River Steel in West Salem. Walker visited the business to tout his manufacturing agenda – such as the recently passed iron mining bill and the approval of $15-million in state funding for worker training over the next two years.
Walker remained coy on whether or not he would pursue a presidential run himself in 2016, but said the primary process needs expediting. "The primaries (last year) were too long," Walker said. "There were too many debates." "The debates allowed the candidates to focus on issues that didn't resonate with voters," the Governor said. "The national media, I think, would get bored with all of the candidates having similar views on fiscal and economic issues, so they would get them to delve into these bizarre issues most people aren't interested in."
Priebus' proposal also suggested an earlier Republican National Convention. He said he would like to see the convention take place in June or July rather than in August, when it's typically held.
Bradley said he believes the change would be a positive one, allowing the party's nominee to then shift his or her focus to the opposing Democrat. The party's nominee is confirmed at the convention. "During a long primary, on the Republican side, you get to see and hear about things that affect Republicans," Bradley said. "Candidates are running to get Republican votes."
"So with the convention in August, Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan only had three months to campaign for everybody else's vote," he said.
But Dr. David Canon, a professor of political science at the UW-Madison, said he's not sure the divisive primary was what cost Romney the White House – citing the Obama campaign's technological superiority and vast, grass roots effort. "I don't think the Republican problems were caused by the primary," Canon said. "I think the party did a good job of pulling together after the primary."
