With Republican Scott Walker expected to announce his candidacy for president early next week, his longtime political ally, Michael Grebe, will reportedly serve as his campaign chairman.
The Weekly Standard reports Walker, who has served as Wisconsin's governor since 2011, could announce the move as early as Friday.
Walker has a long history with Grebe, and a
New York Times story last month profiled their relationship that goes back to Walker's days as a student at Marquette University.
Grebe was the chairman of Walker's 2010 and 2014 campaigns for governor, and led his 2012 recall election. A lawyer, Grebe has also worked as the general counsel of the Republican National Committee and is now the president of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation in Milwaukee.
"He has this unique combination of talent and experience in politics and policy that makes him one of the most respected people I've known," Karl Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, told The Weekly Standard.
"He's bright, low-key, unflappable. He has the demeanor of the lawyer that your family has depended on for years."
Grebe himself confirmed to the Standard his new role of supporting Walker's presidential run, but said he will remain in his post at the Bradley Foundation. He also told the website that the Times profile, which took a deep look at Walker's rise to political success, "was a totally unfair characterization of our relationship."
Walker is expected to join
the presidential field on Monday, which would make him the 15th candidate in the crowded GOP field vying for the nomination after next year's primaries.
Grebe and Walker recently angered some Democrats in the Wisconsin statehouse when Walker appointed Grebe's son to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. The appointment was confirmed in a party-line vote, according to the
Wisconsin Radio Network.
"Putting more of Governor Walker's close personal friends and campaign supporters on the Board of Regents will only weaken its authority, and leave Wisconsin students and families behind," Minority Leader Sen. Jennifer Shilling, a Democrat from La Crosse, said at the time.
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