Gov. Scott Walker says he will serve out full term if re-elected,

MADISON – Gov. Scott Walker committed Saturday to serving a full term if re-elected next year, ruling out a presidential run or federal cabinet appointment in a way he refused to do in 2014.

In an interview ahead of his Sunday campaign kickoff at Waukesha’s Weldall Manufacturing, Walker said he’d use a third term to raise wages for workers and lower their overall taxes, but he didn’t rule out an increase in the gasoline tax.

The GOP governor made clear that he’s running in 2018 for the chance to serve through January 2023 — a potential 12-year tenure that would be the longest of any governor in state history except Tommy Thompson.

“Absolutely,” Walker said of his intent to serve the entire term. “I just think there’s more work to be done, and one of the great joys I have is traveling the state and seeing how proud people are of their ... communities and I want to be part of that for the next four years.”

In the seven years since winning office in 2010, Walker has remade the state in his own conservative image, cutting billions of dollars in taxes, dealing blows to unions and becoming the first governor in U.S. history to win a recall election. His biggest defeat came when he ran unsuccessfully in 2015 in the GOP primary for president.

In the year running up to that White House race, Walker repeatedly declined to commit to serving a full term, saying instead that being governor was the “only thing I’m focused on right now.”

In a third term, Walker said that he’d work on ensuring good schools, combating addiction to opioid painkillers and making government more efficient. He declined to say whether he would sign an increase in the gas tax, a subject that has bitterly divided GOP elected officials.

“Clearly, my overall, overriding goal is to continue to lower the tax burden, and the mix of how we do that we’ll lay out between now and next year’s election,” Walker said.

In the interview, Walker pointed to the state’s job growth, lower taxes and increased aid for schools.

He defended his decision to forgo a full expansion of state health-care programs for the needy and turn down hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxpayer money under the Affordable Care Act. He said that money might still disappear even through the GOP-controlled Congress has so far failed to repeal the program known as Obamacare.

Democrats said Walker is signing on to one election too many.

“We all know that Gov. Walker is unpopular and beatable,” state party Chairwoman Martha Laning said. “The things (President) Donald Trump is doing and saying are appalling, yet Gov. Walker cozies right up to toxic Trump.”

The Democrats already running against Walker include: state schools Superintendent Tony Evers; Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik; Rep. Dana Wachs of Eau Claire; Sen. Kathleen Vinehout of Alma; political activist Mike McCabe; and former state Democratic Chairman Matt Flynn.

Several other Democrats are considering a run, including businessman Kurt Kober, firefighter union President Mahlon Mitchell and former state Rep. Kelda Helen Roys of Madison.

Republicans say that field lacks a strong frontrunner and that its sheer breadth is a sign that Democrats are in disarray.

But former state Rep. Mandela Barnes of Milwaukee gives a different

reason for the large field.

“I think, ultimately, people wouldn’t line up like this if he (Walker) weren’t vulnerable,” said Barnes, who is considering a run in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.

Walker didn’t rule out running for a fourth term as governor as Thompson did 1998, saying he would make that decision in four years if he wins in 2018.

The governor also acknowledged what has long been assumed: that after Trump’s election last year, he was approached about possible cabinet appointments. Walker said he turned down those feelers and would again if he’s asked in the future.

In recent months, some have questioned whether Ohio Gov. John Kasich is positioning himself for a GOP primary run against Trump. Walker declined to comment on Kasich but said he wouldn’t try anything of the sort himself.

“Having a president of my own party in office makes it crystal clear I’m not going to run,” Walker said. “...There’s no way, no how as long as I’m governor that I’m going to leave that position.”