scott walker tweeted just moments ago, had a great conversation with mitt romney. he's a great man. thanked him for opening the doors for fresh leadership in america. joining me now is a chuck todd and robert gibbs. chuck, what just happened? >> well i guess one way is the cycle has so moved up the news cycle, that now in 2016 you drop out before you announce. that's how quickly this campaign is moving. no i think what happened today was today was the real start of the republican presidential race. mitt romney is now out. now you see -- now we know what the field looks like. this is going to be sort of jeb bush in one corner possibly having to deal with a chris christie for the establishment wing. you have scott walker right now looking like the strongest of the potential anti-washington, anti-bush part of the establishment world. then we have to figure out who else is going to end up in this sort of first tier of a rand paul. perhaps it is a huckabee. what kind of traction does a ted cruz get? you have marco rubio and bobby jindal trying to find a place in this. today is the first

walker i'm not endorsing scott walker but he's interesting. he did take on another group that conservatives are not always pleased with which is the unions. a lot of america doesn't think the unions are in the right. he took them on and beat them. he actually has won election he faced a recall. he's somebody who has shown i'm a tough guy, i'm a conservative but i'm willing to stand up. i think he's an interesting character. >> personality comes into it at some point. does he have the big presidential personality? it's never struck me. >> yeah. i've gone to wisconsin a few times and followed him around for the recalls, he wasn't what i thought he was going to be. he didn't get people as fired up but at the same time he has won three elections in the last four years, he did become the representing everything that progressive thought was wrong. he does get people excited and interested. he has that sort of midwestern where he pulls back but also careful. he doesn't make a lot of gaffes like rick perry and chris christie make but he also doesn't h

ryan said scott walker, mostly because i don't think romney is running. travis likes former governor romney and his campaign will be a well-oiled machine and let's not forget reagan's attempts. but another writer said romney is the winning ticket and there was a nomination of dane perino as well. i'll tell her that. >>> all right check this out. love is what happens when you are not looking. it just pops up on you. >> that is what happened for felicia and reggie sims. they met in an omantic way. both dialysis patients. she had to make the first move since the nurse wouldn't give up his phone number. i'm shannon breen, thanks for watching fox. >>> i'm chris wallace. president obama is defiant, doubling down on his agenda on the first state of the union speech to the gop-controlled congress. >> i have no more campaigns to run. my only agenda -- [ applause ] >> i know because i won both of them. >> we'll discuss the president's domestic policies and the growing terror threat in the middle east with white house chief of staff denis mcdonough. >>> plus house s

new faces scott walker, michael -- marco rubio, rand paul. country is looking for a fresh face. >> any one of those guys at this point that you say look, if i have 100 bucks i go to vegas. odds are real bad. i could strike it rich here. putting my money on. >> grass roots who are they getting excited about. south carolina? they really get excited about -- >> -- krauthammer said heed put his money on rubio as a long shot deal. that's what i'm wanting you guys to do. >> i think you look to the senate. i would look at ted cruz. marco rubio, rand paul. of the senate grass roots seems excited about right now. senator ted cruze of texas. i see grass roots getting excited about. >> that's interesting. >> i would have to go with scott walker at the moment. a conservative governor who has won three times in a blue state. and he is he a guy who could potentially ignite the tea party wing and establishment wing and bring them together. i would put my money on walker right now. >> walker it will be interesting going up against pence and casic and texas g

today one potential recipient made news a political ally of the kochs, wisconsin governor scott walker officially launching a political committee. yet despite the big money, conservatives are still searching for a winning candidate. walker was just one of a host of gop hopefuls in iowa this weekend. notably no jeb bush and no mitt romney, but sarah palin was there still grabbing headlines with a speech even some on the right say was incoherent. >> it must change. things must change for this cover -- our government. look at it. it isn't too big to fail. it's too big to succeed. it's too big to succeed, so we can afford no retreads or nothing will change. with the same people and same policies that got us into the status quo? and that stands for the middle-class, everyday americans are getting taken for a ride. that's status quo. gop leaders, by the way, you know, the man, can only ride you when your back is bent. so strengthen it. then the man can't ride you and american won't be taken for a ride because so much is at stake. we can't afford politics playing games like nothing more is at

steinberg said that rand paul does not stand a shot, that leaves only jeb bush, and scott walker. but, can scott walker -- is he sitting in a position that bill clinton was in 1991. >> i dispute the criteria, talk about movement. libertarian, what is third one? >> center right republican. kennedy: >> okay, i think at-this-point have you talk about can they win forget all of these criteria. find somebody who can actually win. i think walker could win. i don't know about jeb bush. because of the last name, bush fatigue. and i like john kasich employee think he has potential, i like chris christie, he is quick on his little feet. he can talk back. kennedy: that may be one of the only things going for him the rest ofer did at thiser did sits. >> become, i think that whoever runs has to learn to make themselves a smaller target for media, not say stupid stuff that is what media feeds off. they have to come prepared, you have to do your home work, have you can't just be correct, you have to be persuasively correct president obama made lousy ideas sound aus am. awesome. kennedy: because

scott walker won his election by 20 points. i thought this guy must have had some kind of magic. i really hope he gets the nomination and get -- goes to the new stage. not only did he get elected, but he did exactly what he said he would do. now, look, i'm a businessman. i admire people who are looking in the eyes and say this is what i'm going do and then they go out and do it to the letter. and they have the ability not only to talk about it but to get it done and to executive execute on that. he paid a big price on that. he had to run again in 2012. where he won again. so i guess what impressed me most about this governor is he says what he's going to do. follows through and gets it done. he has the courage to with stand the pressures that come against him and as a west-pointer and former green be ray, i want to use this analogy, i want somebody as a leader in my political office as someone that i want in a fox hole in a firefight. i can't think of anybody i'd rather be in that fox hole in a firefight or in distress than governor scott walker. scott. [applause] well thanks, fr

they are doing auditions right now, scott washington is in -- scott walker is in washington. but they are doing it, they are going around. and the next will be on the side of the senators, who has more appeal to some special interest money. neil: there is that evangelical money and the foster friess money. so what do you think? does this change the money dynamics in the grand scheme of things? >> yes, it changes some of it. one of the reasons why mitt romney ended up running, he ended up at tracking on what he had suggested earlier is because when he checked with many of his biggest donors in 2008 and 2012 that they were otherwise engaged or unsure. neil: had declared a little earlier with this he might have had a different result. >> it's possible, i think he would've had to run flat out. basically you know that that is the problem. you talk to republicans not just at the top come you ask them what they think about mitt romney and they will say some nice things and that he had his chance and he blew it. it is really hard to overcome that. >> also you have a field a very attr

scott walker for the same reason although scott walker tries to show himself as a bit more conservative, they're still going after the same money. >> ilet's go to the democratic kind. will it be hillary clinton or will elizabeth warren launch a campaign to challenge her. >> i heard someone say with mitt romney out of the race, who is getting to be the losing candidate out of massachusetts. i don't see it as elizabeth warren. hillary clinton said she would wait which is wise. she is the de facto candidate. she's likely to run from people i've spoken to, and if she were to run she would initially be unstoppable. you're going to hear other names. jim webb and berni sanders. >> you don't brief any that have stuff. that's like all the number 15 to 25 republicans who were going to run. lots of people are going to run but nobody is a contender. >> no, nobody is really a contender right now. if she doesn't run that would be the only thing to change this. and you know, ali if jeb bush decides not to run there is a tiny little possibility or a skeleton in his closet, something happens, mitt romne

among them rick perry, scott walker, ben carson and mitt romney. another strong sign he's serious about making another run. campaign call campaign carl is keeping tabs. he's in california. >> reporter: all political conventions for every party should at least be in southern california or some place where there is lots of sun. >> what is the mood there? is anybody still celebrating the midterm elections or have they moved on to 2016 nail biting? >> reporter: both. they are looking forward to 2016 and with a lot of the presidential race under way they know mitt romney comes tomorrow night. we heard dr. ben carson a while ago. tomorrow, rick perry and scott walker will be speaking later this evening. you hear them talking about and looking forward to the debate and what will be a battle in the gop. >> bob, do you have a question? >> two things struck me about this. one was, cleveland, are you kidding? the second thing was, limiting the number of debates, which was a smart thing to do. 27 last time and they got it down to 6 or 8. the other thing is, mo

governor scott walker of wisconsin, mitt romney jeb bush all getting ready to run for president. laura will evaluate the man. we found out something about laura ingraham that nobody knows. and i will spill it when we come back. >>> back of the book segment tonight, governor scott walker in wisconsin pretty much a lock to run for president on the republican side. he joins jeb bush and most likely mitt romney who is apparently putting together his old campaign team. i'm not sure that's a great idea. anyway, here now is miss laura ingraham. you have got mitt and scott and general. sounds like three dog night. >> oh, yeah that's a party with the the three of them. >> what do you think? >> well, of the three of them, first we have to just say any of the three would be better than hillary or elizabeth warren from the perspective of most republicans, most conservatives. however, let's start with jeb. since jeb is definitely running, i have been saying three years he was running a lot of people pough -- poo pooed. catholic, two term governor from florida. think of this. the last time he

governor scott walker of wisconsin, mitt romney jeb bush all getting ready to run for president. laura will evaluate the man. we found out something about laura ingraham that nobody knows. and i will spill it when we come back. so,as my personal financial psychic, i'm sure you know what this meeting is about. yes, a raise. i'm letting you go. i knew that. you see, this is my amerivest managed... balances. no. portfolio. and if doesn't perform well for two consecutive gold. quarters. quarters...yup. then amerivest gives me back their advisory... stocks. fees. fees. fees for those quarters. yeah. so, i'm confident i'm in good hands. for all the confidence you need. td ameritrade. you got this. >>> back of the book segment tonight, governor scott walker in wisconsin pretty much a lock to run for president on the republican side. he joins jeb bush and most likely mitt romney who is apparently putting together his old campaign team. i'm not sure that's a great idea. anyway, here now is miss laura ingraham. you have got mitt and scott and general. sounds like three dog night. >> oh, ye

about six years ago, i was at a forum and scott walker was a countingcounting executive. i think it was in sun valley. and he was there as a competitor for the nomination for governor of wisconsin. he was county executive of milwaukee county. i asked to get some information about scott walker and somebody gave me some background on him and i learned that as county executive he had been elected twice. or three times? twice? >> one special, two regulars, yes. >> in milwaukee county. now milwaukee county, being the county executive of milwaukee is a big deal. it's a big county, the city and the whole environs of it. he'd cut taxes, he'd improved education. he was elected by a 20-point margin in a very, very blue county. and then we looked at the results from the 2008 election. barack obama won that election. scott walker won his election by 20 points. i thought this guy must have had some kind of magic. i really hope he gets the nomination and goes to the new stage. if he does itle be a whole different ballgame if he troy tries to could this to this in the whole state. not o

i thought one of the best comments was from scott walker. let's listen to what he had to say. >> i think people like the way they are directed. maybe that is why i won the race for governor three times in the last four years. [ applause ] >> three times, mind you, in a state that hasn't gone republican for president since i was in high school more than 30 years ago. how about that? >> shane that seems like a pretty compelling case, i have to say for scott walker. and chris christie had a strong performance. who do you think were the big winner this is weekend? >> i think there is no question scott walker came out one of the big winners and one of the reasons is the expectation game. people were accusing him of being boring but he excited this grassroots crowd. chris christie was well received and he told iowa look you might not agree with me on everything, but you agree with me most of the time so this is the only way we'll win elections. >> and what we are looking at in the coming years coming up to 2016 and i followed it closely when my da

scott walker for the same reason, although scott walker tries to show himself as a bit more conservative, they're still going after the same money. >> i let's go to the democratic kind. will it be hillary clinton or will elizabeth warren launch a campaign to challenge her. >> i heard someone say with mitt romney out of the race, who is getting to be the losing candidate out of massachusetts. i don't see it as elizabeth warren. hillary clinton said she would wait , which is wise. she is the de facto candidate. she's likely to run from people i've spoken to, and if she were to run she would initially be unstoppable. you're going to hear other names. jim webb and berni sanders. >> you don't brief any that have stuff. that's like all the number 15 to 25 republicans who were going to run. lots of people are going to run, but nobody is a contender. >> no, nobody is really a contender right now. if she doesn't run that would be the only thing to change this. and you know, ali, if jeb bush decides not to run, there is a tiny little possibility or a skeleton in his closet something happens, mitt

run ads, vote for me scott walker, what you get with president scott walker that kind of thing. the other thing to keep in mind these are the two doing it. scott walker lindsey graham. the catch on lindsay grak close to john mccain. he's all about campaign finance reform. lindsey graham is saying he will abide by contribution limits for his 527. only take $2,600 from an individual. scott walker not making a claim like that now. scott walker looking to raise more money with this. the more traditional term here and what most of these perspective republican candidates are using, called leadership pacs. basically, this is something you form as a prelude to a president's campaign. you can raise money for this spend it to fly around the country, go to all sorts of events. run polling, hire staff. big thing they like to do as well dahl thatole that money out pap good way to make friends. interesting one, a lot of people doing it democrats, republicans looking at this. interesting thing. jeb bush doing something different than everybody else. this is the language he used when he said he

scott walker ... i say this as the son of a wisconsinite. they have a reputation for being too nice and too plight. the question about scott walker was, is he going to be able to show passion. martha: too nice and too plight. -- and too polite. >> last time around we had tim pawlenty who wasn't able to project emotion. people thought this reserved solid, very effective governor of wisconsin they those's a good guy with a great record, but is he going to be able to demonstrate passion? while we had a lot of good perform answers at the iowa freedom forum. ted cruz, rick perry the guy who won the headline was walker because of this delivery. if he keeps this up he will be a major player particularly in the iowa caucasus. he spent some early years in iowa and his dad was a pastor there. martha: iowa will be a huge test. two people that everybody also talked quite a bit about were the two men who were not there mitt romney and jeb bush. here is donald trump on the two of them. >> you can't have romney he chokes, you can't have bush. the last. the

scott walker is a guy that broke from the pack. this is a guy i don't see as charismatic but he wowed the crowd and reminded the crowd he won three out of the four times in the last years. >> woodruff: do they have to do this? why do they need to do this? >> i think a lot of it is to try to get some of that early buzz. again, one of the down sides of being a scott walker is even republicans don't even know much about scott walker. a lot of this is playing who reads and digest the media? a lot of donors. we call the invisible primary. this is not about trying to get the votes in the bank today. today it's about getting the bank in the bank and also positioning yourself to get more money to put in the bank. >> woodruff: we described both of the groups as conservative, the conservative freedom gathering in iowa, same thing. is this just one spectrum of the republican voter electorate that these candidates have to worry about? >> in iowa, that's one. i think there are probably three altogether right. it's sort of the evangelicals, then

. >> i would say scott walker because people have been saying that this guy is completely first met challenged and he has a pulse. he gave some speech that was better than a lot of people expected. he probably came out with more points than anybody because expectations were so low. i would say marco rubio who spoke at the koch brothers conference talked about foreign policy and a smart way. people were impressed with him which led to concerns and he was young and he got a lot of points for that. and jeb bush for skipping iowa for being disciplined enough to say this is not my crowd and he gave a smart, good speech in california. >> walker, he did fine. i have seen a version of that speech. it is a more developed stump speech and people in iowa want to see him. let's see when he starts going up against people with really develop speech is how he does. on marco rubio, i agree. he was good at the koch event. in terms of jeb bush, being in san francisco while almost every else is in iowa, i heard of people being hostile in terms of the grassroots or not caring that he was not there. if you are the

. >> i would say scott walker because people have been saying that this guy is completely charisma challenged and he has a pulse. he gave some speech that was better than a lot of people expected. he probably came out with more points than anybody because expectations were so low. i would say marco rubio who spoke at the koch brothers conference talked about foreign policy and a smart way. people were impressed with him which led to concerns and he was young and he got a lot of points for that. and jeb bush for skipping iowa for being disciplined enough to say this is not my crowd and he gave a smart, good speech in california. >> walker, he did fine. i have seen a version of that speech. it is a more developed stump speech and people in iowa want to see him. let's see when he starts going up against people with really developed speech is how he does. on marco rubio, i agree. he was good at the koch event. in terms of jeb bush, being in san francisco while almost everybody else is in iowa, i heard of people being hostile in terms of the grassroots or not caring that he was not there. if you a

could be governor scott walker. any of these possibilities could be it. >> if governor romney comes out directly plain and simple and says, i put my support behind x, y or z this specific candidate being one of the new and upcoming young steres in the republican generation, how much of an impact with that have on their candidacy? >> i don't know if it would be that influential simply because romney lost the general election. so how influential can he be at this point? let's look back to 2012. senator mccain's endorsement didn't necessarily help romney at all in his campaign. so i think -- i think that was one of the more interesting questions, arrest they will. does romney endorsement really help a candidate? i think it depends who the candidate is and if he's endorsing someone like a scott walker or a chris christie, it would be kind of expected that he would. it would be unusual if suddenly he decided to endorse jeb bush 'cause we know there have been a rivalry there. i think the help that he can give a candidate

can't forget that a scott walker has a national base now. the national party galvanized behind those three efforts to get him re-elected. he's got a national base. he is not going to start in the woods. like a lot of people expect. >> the reason it starts so early is because of how expensive it is, the ways in which we call the invisible primary plays out. the big question, the $64,000 question in this primary is will it be the rule pertaining again that essentially the establishment candidate wins. i think there is good reason to feel it breaks this time around. but i'm curious know what you think. >> i tried to break in in 2000 for 2012. >> we put in place rules that would allow for a longer process and to have more of an opportunity for people who didn't have money like a rick santorum or a newt gingrich, to who ultimately found a sugar daddy. but that's another conversation. to come to the table and ultimately play. the rnc is changing their rules and they have changed their rules to try to shorten the process. they don't want what they

>> obvious jeb bush is one maybe chris christie maybe walker, scott walker. he's like a towering tree that now there's more sunlight for everybody. that's what the republican party needs is new idea new energy, and i could say romney is not a good candidate. he's a wonderful man. ashley: department is connect with people. >> would have made a good president but a lousy candidate. if barack obama taught bus politics, you need to be a really good candidate. a good campaigner you have to like it. people have to like you on the stump. that wasn't mitt romney's strength. ashley: and leslie kind of a passing shot to bush and others when romney today says it's time for a new generation to emerge pushing aside the name bush as we walk on through, synonymous with runs for the white house, but maybe chris christie as well. what's the thinking there? is there a mythical candidate that's going to emerge? there could be? >> it could have been a shot at hillary clinton. people are tired of the clintons as well. the legacy families. there is a point, it does open up the fie

smart move, scott walker. coming up, our old friend bernie sanders. last time he was on this program, he did an impression of george steinbrenner. what will he do now? ♪ >> our guest tonight has been a monster, owner of the new york yankees, and possible presidential candidate all on this show. we want to talk to you about the cope others, hillary clinton, and football, but first he trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. you have five years to create good-paying jobs. what would be different for america if your plan were approved and signed into law? >> just stop and think, if -- in 50 states in this country we were rebuilding crumbling roads and bridges, wastewater systems airports, rails, levies, dams we would make america more efficient, productive, and safer . so when people went over a bridge, they would not end up in the water but would get to the other side. equally important, we can create and a time when real unemployment is over 11% -- we can create an estimated 13 million decent-paying jobs and that is exactly what we have to do. this bill

. >>> and which band literally hates governor scott walker. scrambled politics is next. you show up. you stay up. you listen. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future we're here for you. we're legalzoom, and for over 10 years we've helped families just like yours with wills, living trusts and more. visit us today for legal help you can count on. legalzoom. legal help is here. good job! still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. >>> all right. to a presnowstorm edition of scrambled politics. chris christie takes another step towards a presidential bid. he's created a political action committee called leadership matters for america and this will allow him to raise money for a potential campaign. >>> scott walker might be a fan of the irish punk rock band the drop kick murphys. he used one of their songs as an entrance music during iowa's fr

then governors scott walker and chris christie following in single digits. the big question today -- why did romney abandon a third run before it even started? well it is being answered by a tom romney source like this. mitt believes this is not about him being president. but about the presidency being in the right hands. unique insight coming from those who followed the romney family for two campaigns, greg whitely. >> i think he probably is smart enough to assess his chances looked hard and carefully. i mean i think it must be alluring to run given his poll numbers. >> right. >> i think he just came down on the side that he would do more harm than good by running at this point. >> reporter: and the reaction from democrats has been a mixed bag for mitt. the obama campaign manager not so nice. friday ruined. now that romney is not running i knew that god didn't love me enough for a gift like that. but then president obama's former senior adviser daniel axle rod said he's thrilled to invite mitt romney to the university of chicago in april. axelrod said there

smart move, scott walker. coming up, our old friend bernie sanders. last time he was on this program, he did an impression of george steinbrenner. what would he do next? ♪ >> our guest tonight has been a monster, owner of the new york yankees, and possible presidential candidate, all on this show. senator bernie sanders of vermont, thank you for coming back. we want to talk to you about the others cope, hillary clinton and football, but first the trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. you have five years to create millions of good-paying jobs. what would be different for america if your plan were approved and signed into law? >> just stop and think, if -- in 50 states in this country, we were rebuilding crumbling roads, bridges, water systems, wastewater plants, airports rails, levies, dams, we would make america more efficient, productive, and safer. so when people went over a bridge, they would not end up in the water, but would get to the other side. equally important, we can create at a time when real unemployment is over 11% -- we can create an e

walker marco rubio, rand paul and the list of them lindsay graham now. so i think it's a reinvention of mitt romney and president obama having a little bit of fun with it yesterday in philly my hometown. >> mitt romney not having much fun with it. he so the back on twitter saying, mr. obama wonder why my concern about poverty? the record number of poor in your term and your record of failure to remedy. so can can that really solely be put on the president's shoulders? >> again, i think what you're seeing her, betty, is republicans part of a larger narrative here trying to fight back against democrats. as you know you have president obama during his state of the union address really laying the groundwork for the 2016 cycle and saying that this is going to be about the middle class and middle class economics and thk inequality so republicans are, including mitt romney are trying to have to sell a middle class pitch of their own and so i think you're seeing mitt romney inject poverty into this and i think you're seeing democrats inject income equality into

. >> how scott walker brought the house down. mornings are better with friends. ♪ ♪ >>> good morning. we're so happy to be joined by the great charles. >> thank you very much. >> nice to have you. >> how is it going? >> i only have one night a week where i can stay up late and i had to give it up last night but it was worth it. >> to the fox news alert. a live look at india. president obama expected to address the prime minister. >> it's part of the three-day trip that includes talks in everything from trade to terrorism. that trip is being cut short so the president can fly to the saudi kingdom after the death of their king. >> and he's traveling. tell us the latest. >> reporter: well, good morning. you're right on tuesday after deliverying remarks here the president was supposed to go to the damage mall. the idea of doing some sightseeing when a lot of world leaders are heading to saudi arabia the white house realized it might not be a good idea. he'll be here until tuesday morning before heading to saudi arabia. they hope

. >> at the very same meeting, scott walker, governor of wisconsin, newly re-elected, he thinks he's the now generation for 2016, like governor romney he went directly after hillary clinton. listen to scott walker who has governor romney in mind, not just hillary clinton, when he says it's time to move on. >> fresh, new perspective that says the answers do not come out of our nation's capitol, they come out of our states but more importantly from the people in the state at the grassroots. >> to peter's points it would be on paper an impressive field. not taking sides, but if you've got a bush, a romney, maybe a christie, a walker, a perry, a huckabee guy that's run before, santorum has run before, ben carson. mike pence, the governor of indiana, john casey, governor of ohio runs. >> yeah, a big, big field. they'll need a big debate stage. certainly walker there, not the most charismatic of guys if you look at him compared to everyone else in the field. he has a case to be made. somebody who's run. somebody who certainly has a lot of attention from the tea party, the grassroots activi

i think scott walker is the guy i would love to see in the white house. host: what about your own senator, marco rubio? caller: i like marco. but he has disappointed me on a number of occasions where he indicated he would follow a particular course and then seemed to change the way the winds seem to change. i am concerned about his overall sincerity. host: as you know, senator marco rubio doing a book tour. fostering upward mobility is the focus of this new book restoring opportunity for everyone. it could be the basis of a presidential campaign. "rubio says he'll jump in the 2016 race if no one else in the republican field puts forward an economic agenda like his, even if it means running against his onetime mentor, former florida governor jeb bush. he told cbs that he could put together a well-financed campaign if he decides to throw his hat into the ring." the caller mentioned scott walker and that he likes his stance against the unions. "the journal" editorial board is taking should with what scott walker is now saying about unions. "at the second ina

it is a coming out party of sorts for scott walker. for senator marco rubio the forum comes right as he shifts his campaign into higher gear. he will join the candidate forum in california hosted by freedom partners that include walker kentucky senator rand paul and ted cruz. chris christie who spent weeks in iowa has a challenge in the state. while christy has controversies to work out in new jersey insiders say he plans to aggressively campaign in new hampshire as well as iowa where conservatives are often suspicious. by contrast heartland candidates like mike huckby are embraced. rick santorum is attending the forum and wrapping it within a five-day bus tour where his sweater vested 2012 campaign narrowly beat romney. perry joined late in 2012 and coupled with gaffs made it impossible for him to compete. a potential wildcard is newcomer dr. ben carson who draws huge crowds and has volunteers organizing in all 99 counties. historically a majority of caucus goers are christian conservatives. social issues matter here and can decide a

sec or scott walker. neil: so you gravitate to the midwestern governor group? >> i do. and the country is ready for the mid term is the democrats got shellacked they did not like the policies they wanted the country to go back in to have success for people that our legitimate. neil: i think scott walker is the one to watch not just for his reaction but quietly he has done a lot of things that those around the base want to see more of. >> what i like about scott walker he is a good speaker and has improved immensely. that is important. look what he did with the unions. neil: you don't think that is the boomerang nationally? >> they are dead anyway. but show some spine is very important with a good midwestern ethnic. and i think given a chance others would diverge and i would take walker any day of the week. i take that is where we will find the next president but not those under just trying to sell books are have reality shows. i think they have done a good job to have less debates in to have more control. we will see what happens. neil: good to see you. thanks. remember

governor perry, scott walker is contemplating a run maybe bobby jindal? christie? >> we have governor christie, we have former governor romney apparently now and former governor bush, and maybe governor snyder of michigan. governor perry is still governor until the 20th of january. you better be careful if you -- don't disrespect our governor. >> i'm an honorary texan, we're all good there. we've got senators. we've got rand paul. ted cruz. we've got marco rubio. maybe a dark horse, john thune maybe? who might get it? >> first of all, you put your finger on an interesting thing, traditionally we've had more senators running than governors. this time around we've already got more governors being mentioned than senators. we've got one other governor we didn't talk about, actually, two more governors, governor pataki of new york is talking about running, and bob ehrlick. >> i think governor santorum will run. >> and former governor huckabee as well. at least five senators, and i think the number is 11 governors current or past. >> i think the comment that ted cruz mad

i think scott walker has a relationship with donors because of all of the races he's run in wisconsin, including that recall. he has the potential to raise a lot of money. marco rubio has a great relationship with donors as i reported this morning. he'll be in california all week raising money from big republican names. don't underestimate cruz or rand paul. i'm leaving some out. but in many ways arthel it's a wide-open race at this point. i don't think you can really say who's going to be standing on top at the end. >> that's a safe assessment there, david. you're not going on a limb at all? you got nothing for us? >> well, there are times when it's prudent -- when it makes sense to go out on a limb because you can really see the end game. but this is such a wide open race. perhaps more than we've ever seen in a republican primary at least for decades, that i could go out on a limb and try to sound really smart. but the truth is we really don't know where this thing is going to go yet. >> it's a wide open field and you've got a lot of formidable candidates at the moment still in ther

this was more an opportunity for those candidates like a ted cruz, scott walker that aren't household names, that are trying to define their own message and build a little bit of an actual following. >> how do you complain chris christie being there -- how do you explain chris christie being there any. >> i think he knows he has a lot of work to do. his approval ratings in his own state aren't as strong as they once were. i think there's no question his relationship with the president obama hurt him amongst some conservative republicans. this a chance for him to test his message among a more conservative group of republican primary voters. >> obviously your name is steeped in family mainstream republican tradition. your dad of course, and i'm thinking maybe does that bias you a little bit or chagrined by people who listen to you and say, oh, no, not another "rino," spousing the virtue of "rinos." >> i have a very fiscally conservative voting regards in the house and senate. i'm a conservative. i don't have an axe to grind. i'm not supporting any candidate. i'm trying to give you and t

speakers included ted cruz, chris christie, scott walker, rick santorum, and mike huckabee. iowa is getting a lot of attention early, since it is traditionally the first state to hold presidential caucuses during the primary process. this morning, we talked to a reporter about the event.

the younger crop of senators and governors, scott walker, ted cruz, rand paul, they're all looking for ox jep. they're trying to mount their first national campaigns. yet you still have these past figures who are real party heavyweights trying to come back and run again. gwen: when you talk about party heavyweights, let's go right to mitt romney. what is strategy for somebody with that high of a name recognition and last seen was pretty soundly defeated. >> speaking with his advisers tonight, they feel confident though this has been a rick of a rocky roll-out not everyone in the party has embraced romney's possible return to the stage, they feel when they look at the national polls, they are competitive with secretary clinton and they feel in the long race, they can still win the nomination. >> how much romney if he is for real -- and i think a week ago most people would have not thought he isn't a week later think he is, how much is just about his feeling he would be better than jeb bush? >> there is certainly a rivalry between these two major clans in american politics. the house of

the younger crop of senators and governors, scott walker, ted cruz, rand paul, they're all looking for ox jep. they're trying to mount their first national campaigns. yet you still have these past figures who are real party heavyweights trying to come back and run again. gwen: when you talk about party heavyweights, let's go right to mitt romney. what is strategy for somebody with that high of a name recognition and last seen was pretty soundly defeated. >> speaking with his advisers tonight, they feel confident though this has been a rick of a rocky roll-out not everyone in the party has embraced romney's possible return to the stage, they feel when they look at the national polls, they are competitive with secretary clinton and they feel in the long race, they can still win the nomination. >> how much romney if he is for real -- and i think a week ago most people would have not thought he isn't a week later think hek is, how much is just about his feeling he would be better than jeb bush? >> there is certainly a rivalry between these two major clans in american politics. the house of

>> if scott walker is against owners, he will have a big fund-raising problem. >> scott walker is about the only governor that jeb bush hasn't squeezed out of this thing. >> that's right. he has this national fund-raising base because he has run so many times, including the recall where he can go around the country and raise big money. he is someone that can potentially really bridge this establishment grass-roots -- >> are you supposed to say bridge? we're talking about christie. >> sorry. he needs to practice his hugs in the mirror to get it down more. no one will hold it against him that he's an enthusiastic fan of his team. >> chris christie had a bad week. >> he had a bad week. >> if he wants to be president. >> if he wants to be president. there's a lot of criticism back home also of all the travel -- republican governors association leader but same time, things at home are not so good. and the bridge. >> we all know that people worry about bias in the media. we just did the walker -- i have to -- full discloser. i am a green bay packers owner. >> me too. >> you going to route for

scott walker obviously a winner there. a lot of people saying great things. chris christie, how did he do? >> he did fine. he -- his argument is this is a tough audience for him, social conservative audience. >> it is. chris christie, though i was channeling what mitt romney would have said about chris christie, i think he faired pretty darn well there. and i have a lot of respect for him for going there. >> don't underestimate the close relationship he has with terry, the governor there. he's getting a lot of his network. he won't endorse him because he likes to stay neutral. christie is going to try iowa. that's more than you can say about jeb bush or about mitt romney. and the establishment vote there, the social conservatives are getting the attention. >> let's keep going down the list. how did tez cruz do? >> great. he has a feel for that audience and he did great. people expect that of him but he has a very strong iowa plan. >> how about -- how did mike huckabee do? >> he was the last speaker. after ten hours of speeches. people were kind of tired me di