Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said that while he and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are great friends and have similar styles, he’s got a “Midwestern filter” that the outspoken Mr. Christie does not.
“Chris Christie is a great friend of mine; we’ve been friends for years since I was first elected,” Mr. Walker said Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Chris and I are a lot alike — we like to be bold, we like to speak out. The only difference between him and I is I [have] a little bit of a Midwestern filter.”
Mr. Walker said he has mentioned it in front of Mr. Christie himself and added that leadership styles depend on the particular states governors are running.
“That’s why I love him for it. … He’s straightforward, he tells it like it is,” said Mr. Walker, who won re-election this year. “I like to tell it like it is — I just tell it in Midwestern terms, which is a little bit different than maybe what works on the East Coast.”
Both men are seen to be eyeing possible 2016 presidential bids on the Republican side, with the caucuses in Iowa — a Midwestern state — a perennial early focus for contenders fighting for the nomination on both the GOP and Democratic sides.
“That’s one of the great things about great leaders in our states is they fit the states,” Mr. Walker added.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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