Washington (CNN) Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says his home-state battles against labor unions prepare him to take on terrorism -- but he denies he's comparing the two.

Walker drew attention at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday with his response to a question about how he'd handle ISIS, and the "radical Islamic terrorism" he condemned during his speech.

"If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the globe," he told the audience.

The answer allowed Walker to pivot back to his most comfortable space -- his experience battling entrenched Democratic interests in Wisconsin. But it also sounded odd: Statehouse protestors, after all, don't use weapons.

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