Walker, already under fire for failing to disown comments from Rudy Giuliani in which the former New York mayor said he doesn’t believe President Barack Obama “loves America,” said Saturday he doesn’t know if the President is a Christian.
“I don’t know,” the Republican governor replied when asked about the President’s faith in an interview with The Washington Post.
“I’ve actually never talked about it or I haven’t read about that. I’ve never asked him that,” Walker said. “You’ve asked me to make statements about people that I haven’t had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?”
READ: Giuliani puts 2016ers in a bind
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“There is so much risk in saying the wrong thing, you will find in the short-term people who will be cautious,” he added. “Great campaigns know there is a time to run and a time to walk.”
The time for running will come soon enough, with candidates likely to launch their official bids in the coming months, and primary debates soon to follow beginning in August.
In the meantime, Brabender expects the 2016 contenders will focus not just on building up their name identification with voters, but their “brand equity,” which could help to blunt a misstep once the campaign is fully joined. Consider it the lesson of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry from 2012, whose prospects failed to recover from his infamous debate lapse.
“Because there are so many qualified candidates, one mistake can be too many in a race like this,” Brabender said. “You don’t get multiple opportunities to introduce yourself.”
