Walker Needs Big Night at Debate

Walker's poll numbers have been slipping and Wednesday’s debate is his chance to regain momentum.

But there are a lot of contenders who are looking to trump Trump.

Since the last debate Governor Scott Walker's been losing the popularity contest. A recent CBS/New York Times poll showed him dropping 8 percentage points in national polls.

Rick Esenberg says he might know the reason why, "he's reaching out of what he's comfortable with, he's playing more to a national audience instead of leaning on what made him popular."

Esenberg is president of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative think tank in Milwaukee.

He says Walker is playing into a plan laid out by Donald Trump, and Walker, the candidate, may feel forced to comment on issues he isn't as strong on. Namely, less talk about labor and his state budget, more talk on immigration and ethanol in gas, both items which Walker flip-flopped on in Iowa.

And it won't be any easier tonight on the debate stage, "it's so hard because there's so many people up on the stage and everybody is going to be paying attention to Donald Trump and maybe to a lesser degree the other candidates called out by Donald Trump in his gratuitous insults," says Esenberg.

Esenberg also admits Trump is causing a massive interest, meaning more people are paying attention, even if Walker has so far been on the sidelines.

"Generally speaking, you ought to stay with what got you somewhere, and I think if he wants to do better he's going to need to get back to that and there's some signs that he's trying."