Wisconsin recall: Wisconsin Republicans support Scott Walker

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is facing a recall election on June 5, but he hasn't lost the support of Wisconsin Republicans. Walker was targeted for recall after he passed a law last year that ended collective bargaining rights for most state workers. The law was wildly unpopular with Democrats, who saw it as an attempt to weaken unions. Protests lasted in Wisconsin for weeks, the Associated Press reported. 

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But even though Walker's seeming unpopularity lead to a recall election, the numbers are actually more complicated. According to an NBC/Marist poll, 48 percent of people in Wisconsin approve of Walker's performance, while another 48 percent disapprove. And exit poll data shows that 8 out of 10 Wisconsin Republicans support Walker, the Washington Post reported. The numbers reflect deep political polarization. 

Walker has also received praise from Republican Party presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, Politico reported. But Walker has shied away from their attention.

“Gov. Walker has not endorsed any presidential candidate. He’s really been sticking to his knitting and working on his own election activities," a former fundraiser for Walker told Politico. 

Writer John Nichols thinks that Walker is avoiding the candidates on purpose.

"The governor recognizes that he is in the fight of his political life, and the last thing he wants is to reemphasize why that fight has developed by appearing with Republican presidential candidates who are highlighting precisely the policies that got Walker in political hot water," Nichols wrote.