Walker’s Wisconsin and the Future of the United States

Abstract

This chapter outlines the rise of Scott Walker in Wisconsin, which foreshadowed contemporary attacks on public-sector workers and the election of Trump. As the industrial economy collapsed and Wisconsin workers' resentment intensified, Walker won the governor's seat in 2010 by blaming public workers and the special privileges they enjoyed and by promising to restore employment for industrial workers. The chapter details how Walker forced through Act 10, a legislative attack on unions in what had been one of the most progressive states. But despite Walker's promises, Wisconsin lags far behind projected job growth and employment levels in neighboring Minnesota, with its progressive agenda. The Walker agenda, and the coalitions that arose to resist it, presaged the Trump moment; it is an open question whether Walker's 2018 ouster itself is a precursor to future elections.