Yet this is the person just a heartbeat away from the governor. Walker, who wants to run for president, has refused to promise he’d finish a four-term for governor, should he win reelection, so it’s possible Kleefisch could one day be called on to succeed him. Some Republicans now praise Kleefisch for her growth as a public official, and Walker has called her a “trusted ally and lieutenant,” but she’s mostly been invisible in his administration, even as questions about her abilities continue to be raised.
How did Kleefisch — a weak candidate with no experience in government — win office in the first place? “We had Scott Jensen as our strategist and we followed his strategy exactly,” says Kleefisch’s campaign aide.