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Walker and Burke Trade Barbs Over Trek Outsourcing

Gov. Walker's "Fortune" Ad

A campaign ad has stirred the latest dust-up between Gov. Scott Walker and his likely Democratic opponent, Mary Burke.

Walker’s campaign began airing an ad last week. It accuses Burke of getting rich from her family’s company, Trek Bicycle, by sending jobs overseas.

The Walker campaign ad portrays a woman reading a bedtime story to two children.

http://youtu.be/wGhFTBVv5S8?list=UUEeJwPqSAkPNxIR-HZ89fvw

The Burke campaign has fired back with its own commercial.

http://youtu.be/iAoq7ldS8i0

On Monday, Burke accused the governor of dragging the company through the mud for political reasons. She says if Walker knew more about global economics, he’d understand how companies must compete.

Burke’s brother – the president of Trek Bicycle, demanded Walker pull the ad, but on Monday, Walker said he would not.

“We think it’s appropriate to point out that if Mary Burke wants to lay credit for her time working with a company, building that company into what it is today, if she wants to take credit for that, then she has to acknowledge the facts and the facts are clear,” Walker says.

Walker also says a Wall Street Journal editorial, criticizing his ad, doesn’t bother him. UW-Green Bay Political Scientist Michael Kraft isn’t surprised the governor is standing firm, yet, Kraft does not think the ad will tip the campaign, one way or the other.

“The state of Wisconsin is highly polarized at this time. Republicans favor Scott Walker overwhelmingly, Democrats favor Mary Burke overwhelmingly, neither side is likely to be swayed by an ad like this or pretty much any political ad,” Kraft says.

Kraft says the controversy probably won’t even budge independent voters. He says many are enjoying summer and not yet paying much attention to the race.

Marti was a reporter with WUWM from 1999 to 2021.
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