Former U.S. House candidate Scott Walker switches to Democrat, weighs presidential bid

Former U.S. House candidate Scott Walker is a Democrat once again.

The most controversial figure in Delaware politics left the Republican Party behind this week as he prepares for another bid for office in 2020 — possibly even the highest in the land.

"I'm going to run for president, or at least try," the 67-year-old Milford resident said Friday. "And if I don't do well, I'll come back and run for U.S. Senate or maybe governor."

Walker says he's plotting a presidential push in New Hampshire, the second party contest in the nation every four years, where he will need to gain ground on Democratic hopefuls like former vice president and fellow Delaware resident Joe Biden.

The Granite State primary will be held no later than Feb. 11, 2020, giving Walker plenty of time to file as a candidate for statewide office in Delaware if things don't work out.

"The odds of me getting the backing I need are infinitesimal," Walker said, adding that if Michael Avenatti (attorney for porn star and alleged Donald Trump mistress Stormy Daniels) can run, then, "it opens the door for everyone."

Laugh all you want.

Just remember that Walker this year won a Republican primary for U.S. House and picked up more than 125,000 votes in the general election — winning in Sussex County — against incumbent Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was elected to a second term.

That was after he was accused of being a slumlord by state officials, disowned by the Republican Party and lambasted for his behavior, including screeds against white bread, a video he secretly recorded inside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and his repeated claims that Delaware’s elected officials are racist.

"People want a change," he said. "When you go to the grocery store, you want a new product and not the same old thing. There's a demand and a need for someone like me coming out of left field."

Walker, ironically enough, did come out of left field or at least a field of candidates on the left.

He first garnered attention in Delaware in 2016 when he joined a crowded field of six candidates running in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House seat then held by John Carney, who was elected governor that year. Walker finished fifth in that contest, garnering fewer than 3,200 votes.

Largely written off as an also-ran, he stunned the political establishment this year by running as a Republican and knocking off the Delaware GOP's preferred candidate Lee Murphy in the primary before winning nearly 36 percent of the vote in the general election.

The state Republican Party, which disavowed him after the primary, seemed relieved by this latest turn of events.

"I think that is a very interesting decision for him," GOP vice chairwoman Emily Taylor said of Walker's presidential ambitions. "While he made his push as part of the Republican Party, I can say that we're happy to see him leave." 

Walker says the feeling is mutual, adding that running as a Republican in Delaware is practically hopeless.

"If you want to win a statewide election here, you have to be a Democrat," he said. "They have more registered voters, they're much better organized and they have a deeper bench. The only way a Republican can win is if they are extraordinarily wealthy or talented as a communicator and a leader and I don't see anyone like that in Delaware."

The Democratic Party in Delaware does not seem any happier he is joining them.

"When Walker ran as Democrat in 2016, he earned less than 5 percent of the vote," said Erik Raser-Schramm, state Democratic Party chairman. "Two years later, he brought his disgraceful brand of racism, misogyny and lunacy to the Republican Party and won their nomination to Congress."

Although he previously backed President Donald Trump, Walker says he does not believe the incumbent is going to win re-election.

"He's overweight and out of shape," he said. "I'm still a conservative but Democrats are going to need a conservative voice in order to win against a conservative like Donald Trump."

If his presidential run does not work out, Walker says he will consider a challenge to either Gov. John Carney or U.S. Sen. Chris Coons — contests in which he believes his blue dog Democrat views will help him.

"The fringe left in Delaware is confined to the higher circles of the party, especially women who enjoy being part of the radical chic," he said. "For most of us life is a struggle and we don't have time for left-wing fantasies. We care about how we're going to pay our rent and how we're going to pay our tuition."

Walker says he's leaning toward a bid for U.S. Senate if his presidential dreams don't pan out. But for now he's focused on the White House.

"There is always a greater-than-zero chance you'll be successful," he said. "That's the American Dream."

Contact reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.

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