Gov. Walker ponders life after governorship

MADISON, Wis. — When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker leaves office in January, he faces being out of work and off the government payroll for the first time in more than a quarter-century.

He hasn’t said yet what he plans to do next, but at 51, there’s plenty of time for Walker to mount a political comeback. Or, as he hinted on the campaign trail, he could go in a completely different direction and join the ministry like his father did.

“The poor guy, he’s got to consider all options,” said former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who campaigned for Walker. “But first he has to get over the pain of losing. That’s a hell of a lot of pain.”

Walker has been in elected office since 1993, when he was 25. Other than a brief stint working for the American Red Cross after he dropped out of college in 1990, Walker’s job has been politics. After nine years in the state Assembly, he spent eight years as Milwaukee County executive, followed by eight more as governor.

His life has been focused on climbing the political ladder, and he wanted to go even higher. In 2015, Walker ran for president but dropped out that September. He rededicated himself to winning a third term as governor, but lost narrowly to Democrat Tony Evers, who painted Walker as a career politician who cares more about himself than the people of the state.

Walker is not wealthy. Based on his most recent statement of economic interests, he has two retirement accounts each worth less than $50,000. He has three other funds valued between $15,000 and $150,000, total. He’s carrying more than $100,000 in student loan debt and credit card debt between $15,000 and $150,000.