Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, a potential contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, is collaborating on a book with Marc Thiessen, a former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.

“I think Scott wants to do more to tell his story,” says a Wisconsin Republican familiar with the project. “Everybody knows about what he’s done, but not everybody knows about him. This book will be something that colors in the picture.”


Sentinel, an imprint of the Penguin Group, will publish the book, which doesn’t yet have a title. It’s expected to focus on Walker’s gubernatorial experience. Sources say the book will also be autobiographical, with stories about his family, his values, and his rise to power.

Friends say Walker tapped Thiessen, a former Bush and Donald Rumsfeld adviser, because of Thiessen’s understanding of the political and fiscal aspects of Walker’s efforts. Over the past few years, Thiessen has written several columns about Walker’s reforms.

Thiessen’s first book, Courting Disaster (2010), a New York Times bestseller, defended the CIA’s role in the War on Terror and criticized President Obama’s handling of intelligence policy.

Walker, who was elected in 2010 and won a recall election last year, recently spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he was warmly received. He is scheduled to speak at an Iowa Republican-party dinner in May.