Scott Walker doesn’t want reporters to ask him about his position on evolution. That’s one more reason why they should.
Walker, the newly re-elected governor of Wisconsin, is a front-runner for the 2016 Republican nomination. This week he was in London to promote his state’s business interests and, undoubtedly, to establish himself as a credible figure on the world stage. But then a reporter asked Walker whether he believed in evolution. Walker said he would “punt” on that question and added “that’s a question a politician shouldn’t be involved in one way or the other.”
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It’s possible that Walker believes in evolution and is simply wary of offending voters — particularly the white evangelical voters who hold enormous sway in the Republican primaries and are more likely than other groups to question the theory’s basic tenets. Walker’s carefully worded tweets, which manage to talk about science without using the word “evolution,” would be consistent with such caution. Of course, this would only render the question more relevant. As president, Walker would surely have those same voters in mind when contemplating decisions about other issues — reproductive rights, for instance, or same-sex marriage.
Jon Huntsman proclaimed his belief in evolution when he sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. So did Mitt Romney, whose support among white evangelicals was notoriously weak. Is Walker less willing to take stands that might not play with this group, whether out of political expediency or philosophical affinity? The question certainly seems worth asking.
