[G]ov. Phil Scott is facing criticism for his plans to speak alongside former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, a hardline conservative and supporter of President Donald Trump, during a May fundraiser for the Vermont GOP.
Walker served as the governor of Wisconsin between 2011 and 2019, and since he until he lost his bid for a third term last year, has been speaking across the country, advocating for tax cuts and Trump’s reelection.
Democrats have blasted Scott for agreeing to attend the fundraiser with the former governor, whose politics lean far to the right of the moderate Republican governor.
During his time in office, Walker enacted a law that severely restricted collective bargaining rights for state and municipal employees in Wisconsin, called for a constitutional amendment to end gay marriage, and signed legislation to limit the powers of his Democratic successor after he lost his 2018 election.
Terje Anderson, the chair of the Vermont Democratic Party, said that by speaking with Walker, Scott is “associating voluntarily with one of the most far-right governors in the country.”
“Why does Phil Scott even feel comfortable sharing the podium with this guy speaking at the same event?” Anderson said. “I don’t get why they feel this a good image for them to put forward.”
Scott said last week that although their politics are different, he was attending the event out of respect for Walker, who he knows from attending meetings of the National Governors Association.
“On a personal level I like him, but our views are quite different,” Scott said Thursday. “But out of respect for a former governor coming to our state, I think it’s important to meet.”
A group of Vermont unions and Democrats are planning a protest of Walker’s speech, and Scott’s participation.
“By hosting Walker, the governor is using state resources to confer legitimacy upon a shameful record and provide a platform from which he can advance his reprehensible positions,” Kristen Vrancken, an organizer of the Women’s March Vermont wrote in an op-ed last week that mentioned the protest.
Scott said he didn’t see any harm in welcoming Walker to the state.
“I don’t think he’s running for anything in Vermont,” he said of Walker during his press conference last week.
“It’s receiving information, having someone come to the state,” Scott said. “I don’t see any harm in doing that.”
The Vermont Republican Party’s event will be held at the Hilton in Burlington on May 30. Tickets are $125 a person, $200 a couple and $800 a table. Tickets to a VIP reception with the governors are going for $1,000.
