Matthew Walker, the oldest son of Wisconsin Gov. Scott is chairman of the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans. Credit: Gary Porter

SHARE Matt Walker, son of Gov. Scott Walker, describes himself as someone “somewhere between Chris Christie and Rand Paul.”

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When Republicans gather in Milwaukee for their state convention Friday through Sunday, a 19-year-old Marquette University sophomore with a well-known political last name will speak for a few moments on efforts to reach out to young voters.

The student's name? Walker.

Matthew Walker.

Over the past few years, the older son of Gov. Scott Walker has stepped gingerly into the political world, from standing with his family at political rallies to leading the state college Republicans.

Now, he appears poised to fill a role as a surrogate campaigner to charge up millennials, boost Republicans and aid his father's re-election effort.

"I'll be talking about how we can get young people involved and also how the party and the membership of the party can cultivate youth engagement," he said of the brief speech he's due to give to the full convention Saturday morning.

To a lot of the public, he's the Matt of "Matt and Alex," the refrain the governor uses in speeches whenever he talks about creating a brighter future for his sons and other people's children.

Matt's younger brother, Alex, 18, is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As the sons of a prominent politician, the two have grown up in the public eye, attending public school in Wauwatosa.

In some ways, their childhood mirrored their dad's. The son of a preacher, Scott Walker has said he grew up in a fishbowl, aware that his actions might be scrutinized by others.

The Walker sons, though, found themselves in the eye of a political storm in 2011 when their dad took on public-sector unions in a drive to curtail collective bargaining. Demonstrations erupted in Madison, and there were even protesters marching by the Walker home in Wauwatosa.

Whenever the protesters showed up, the Walker sons and their mom, first lady Tonette Walker, headed to Mayfair mall.

"We knew to stay away from it, let it be, stay out of the way, let them do their thing, and when they're done, move on," Matt said.

Like his father, Matt is of medium height and build. He is unfailingly polite and approachable.

But he's also of a different generation.

His musical tastes run from hip-hop to country.

And his politics aren't yet as clearly defined as his father's.

Asked where he is on the Republican spectrum, Matt said, "Somewhere between Chris Christie and Rand Paul."

"I don't think I'm someone who is extremely conservative but I don't consider myself moderate," he added.

Matt is pursuing a double major in political science and economics. He is excited by a class in American public policy taught by John C. McAdams, a political science professor and noted conservative blogger. Matt is writing a research paper on the different incentives income taxes provide.

He likes being in Milwaukee and enjoys the small class sizes.

He lives on campus, sharing a triple. One of his roommates, Matt Simpson, 20, has been good friends with Matt since they attended Wauwatosa East High School. In high school, Matt Walker played football and lacrosse and was a team captain in both sports.

"I'd say he's just your typical college student," Simpson said. "He goes to class, does his homework. But he's associated with a lot of active kids."

Matt served in the Marquette student government senate for 11/2 years. In January, he was elected chairman of the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans. He has been visiting College Republican chapters around the state to get students ready for the fall election.

His political awakening occurred in stages — attending Badger Boys State in 2011, where he was elected governor; a high school trip to Washington, D.C., where he shadowed a student from Marquette's Les Aspin Center; and the intensity of the 2012 recall campaign when his dad was in the political fight of his life.

Right now, Matt said he doesn't feel like he's in politics. After all, he's still a student. But asked about the future, Matt said, "I want to be involved in politics, but I'm not sure how yet. There are many different ways to get involved, and I could see myself in many of those positions. For me, that could mean working with campaigns or working on policy in the future."

The governor said he is proud of both his sons. He hasn't gone out of his way to get them interested in politics and initially he and his wife were concerned when Matt ran for office at Badger Boys State. They feared that he might receive grief from those who opposed the governor's policies.

"I keep reminding him, 'Stay yourself, don't conform to be someone that someone else wants you to be,'" the governor said.

The governor said Matt "is a pretty laid back, humble guy."

Matt said his father has always told him to "do things for the right reasons."

Matt may be his own man on campus, but his father's presence is never really far away. On Thursday, the student newspaper, the Marquette Tribune, ran a story about the governor's interest in gaining his college degree someday. Scott Walker attended Marquette in the 1980s and was involved with student government but left before completing his degree.

Matt's parents were married at the Church of the Gesu on the Marquette campus, and he was baptized there, too.

"I think that Matt works really hard to forge his own way and that he works alongside his dad and not in his shadow," said Mary McCarthy, 21, a Marquette senior who majors in history.

McCarthy and Matt have created a unique friendship. She leads the Marquette chapter of the College Democrats and backs Mary Burke, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate trying to unseat Walker. For the summer, McCarthy has lined up an internship with the political consultancy led by prominent Democrat Thad Nation.

For a time, McCarthy and Matt served together in the Marquette student government and co-authored legislation to make sure every vote was conducted by a roll call.

"Matt and I debate policy all the time," McCarthy said. "While we usually don't change our opinion, we both respect our opinions and it's not a detriment to our friendship."

Despite their differences, McCarthy said Matt will be effective in rallying Republicans.

"I am partial to the idea that our generation, the millennials, are more liberal, but that doesn't mean we're all liberal," she said. "Matt does a really good job of reaching out to people who agree with him and rallying them to his cause. I think he's going to be successful. I also think that the College Democrats will continue to win the young vote."

In the 2012 recall election, exit polls showed Democrat Tom Barrett was backed by 52% of voters under the age of 30. It was the only age group that Walker lost.

Matt said he doesn't think the "youth vote is stuck with Democrats, something that's permanently going to be there."

"It's easy to reach out to people because a lot of people are still undecided," he said.

Matt said the two-year tuition freeze in the University of Wisconsin System could open eyes among students that Republicans have policies that they can support. College Republicans have been handing out red freezer pops to drive home the message.

"A lot of people talk about how tuition is going up and up but not many people can say they froze tuition," he said. "That's something we have been big at talking about to UW students."

Matt is also trying to influence messaging, too.

"Changing the language so it is talking more about an organic, free economy that runs bottom up," he said.

Matt is also eager to get his dad and other candidates to use more social media, not just Facebook and Twitter, but also other sites such as Instagram, Vine and Snapchat.

He said he is excited about the governor's race. The kid who used to stand beside his father at rallies has joined the political fray.

"There's a lot I have to do, a lot of responsibilities I have to fulfill," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting those things done and reaching out to young people across the state."