Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's presidential campaign racked up more than $1 million in debt before he dropped out of the race six weeks ago, and now he's asking supporters to help get him out of the red.
In an email sent Friday morning, Walker told supporters that as "things changed dramatically in the presidential race, 'Walker for America' incurred a campaign debt and it is my hope that you and all of our supporters will chip in and make an online contribution," reported The Washington Post.
"It is a lot to ask, I know, but we feel personally obligated to make sure that every small business that extended us their good faith and credit is repaid," Walker added, according to The Associated Press.
Walker wrote that he wants to "end our presidential race on a positive note with all of the bills paid," and then solicited contributions of $10, $35, $50, $100, $250 or more to help "erase every penny of outstanding debt" that his 70-day campaign incurred.
During his campaign, Walker raised nearly $7.4 million and spent almost $6.4 million, more than $90,000 per day. He had more than 80 paid staff and was known for his generosity, paying at least 20 employees $30,000 in salary over three months and five employees $50,000, more than most of his rivals paid their staff, according to the Post.
After dropping out of the race, Walker is thought to have spent more than $1 million on ongoing contracts, leases and other expenses that often continue after a campaign ends.
Walker told his supporters in the email that he is disappointed his campaign "didn't turn out the way we wanted," but said "there are always new ways to serve others and plenty of conservative reforms to enact in Wisconsin."
"When God closes one door, another one opens," the email concludes. "While I don't know exactly what the future holds, trust me, we will continue leading the fight for big, bold, conservative change in Wisconsin and across America."
Liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now criticized the timing of Walker's email, which came just days after Kraft Heinz announced its plans to close its Oscar Meyer plant on the east side of Madison, taking 1,000 jobs with it.
"Wisconsin families are being thrown into chaos and losing their jobs because Scott Walker was more focused on chasing his own presidential ambitions than doing his job as governor," One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross in a statement, reported The Capital Times. "And now, instead of taking even one iota of responsibility for his failure, he's shaking down donors to pay off the debt he rang up on the campaign trail paying bloated salaries to political operatives and even his own family."
