Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker waded closer to a presidential run Tuesday with the creation of a new political committee that will help him travel and raise money as he prepares for a potential White House bid.
The committee, “Our American Revival,” is a 527 organization, according to a statement released Tuesday.
The group, which has been in the works for weeks as CNN previously reported, comes as Walker has ramped up his efforts to show interest in a presidential bid, hiring key staff and delivering speeches before Republican audiences.
“Our American Revival encompasses the shared values that make our country great; limiting the powers of the federal government to those defined in the Constitution while creating a leaner, more efficient, more effective and more accountable government to the American people,” Walker said in the statement.
Rick Wiley, who Walker hired earlier this month, will serve as the executive director of the committee. The organizations was first reported by the The Washington Post.
On Saturday Walker gave a robust performance at a major conservative gathering in Iowa that featured a string of potential presidential contenders. He boasted his conservative credentials and record of taking on public unions during the heated battle over collective bargaining rights in his first term, a move that rocketed him to GOP fame.
He successfully survived a recall in 2012, the first governor in U.S. history to do so.
“We knew if you’re willing to go big and go bold, the voters will stand up with you, we’ve learned it before,” Walker said Saturday, arguing that his efforts helped him win election three times in four years.
Walker recently hired David Polyansky, a veteran strategist who helped former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee secure a longshot victory in the 2008 Iowa GOP caucuses. He’s also served as the deputy campaign manager for former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who won the 2011 Iowa straw poll.
Chris Christie, another governor interested in a presidential run, launched a leadership PAC on Monday.