It got so bad that, when Walker ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, Donald Trump ripped into the governor’s record of failure. “Wisconsin is doing terribly,” the billionaire said in a 2015 assessment of Walker’s leadership. "He has got a lot of problems in Wisconsin."

Walker’s presidential campaign tanked. Now he is seeking re-election and, with Trump as president, he can no longer run against Washington as he did in the past. He’s got to run on his record — the one that Trump said was so terrible.

What to do?

Announce that he has finally struck gold.

For Walker, this project is all about politics.

For Wisconsinites, however, it is about much more than politics. Committing $3 billion in tax dollars on the promises of a single corporation is an incredible risk. That’s money that could be used for education and job training, for services and infrastructure improvements — all of which are critical to economic development. That’s money that could help thousands of young farmers and small business owners get started in the state where they were born and raised — and where they would almost certainly keep their successful businesses.