Walker Staying Out of U.S. Senate Primary Race

Gov. Scott Walker says the Republicans running for U.S. Senate should focus on the differences between themselves and Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. But Walker is staying out of the contentious race.

Walker said shortly after he won his recall election that he would act as a referee in the Republican U.S. Senate primary. The governor was asked Tuesday whether he’d seen anything out of bounds, “I haven’t dropped a flag yet, but it’s getting pretty close.”

Hedge fund manager Eric Hovde, former Congressman Mark Neumann and former Gov. Tommy Thompson have all run TV ads attacking at least one of their opponents and the three men sparred during a candidate debate this week. Thompson has attacked Hovde for living in Washington, D.C. for 24 years. Hovde has questioned Thompson’s conservative credentials.

But even as the race grows increasingly negative, Walker declined to call out any of the candidate, “To me, the biggest thing that would be out of line is if somebody said something untrue. I haven’t seen a blatant lie from anybody. The question is interpretation. I went through a primary two years ago where I probably didn’t like all the things said about me either.”

Walker also declined to say who he would vote for, “There are four outstanding candidates in the primary. And I think they’d be well-served not only for the primary but for the general election if they stay focused on the differences between themselves and Congresswoman Baldwin. Because I think the differences are substantial.”

A fourth candidate–Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald–has largely remained above the fray in the primary, but Fitzgerald has had a hard time raising money from GOP donors.