GOP governors to launch ads backing Wisconsin Gov. Walker

Reporting from Washington —  In a sign of the ramifications the budget standoff has beyond Wisconsin’s borders, the Republican Governors Assn. plans to become the latest outside group to launch an advertising campaign in the state, supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s effort to end collective bargaining rights for public employees.

The association’s chairman, Rick Perry, announced the ad campaign during a briefing with reporters Monday in Washington, where the Wisconsin showdown has loomed over the annual meeting of state leaders.

“Republican governors aren’t going to back down from our support of Scott Walker and what he’s doing to make the tough decisions in his state to balance the budget,” said Perry, the governor of Texas.

The television ad says leaders “don’t run away from tough problems,” referring to Democratic state senators who have left the state to prevent a vote on Walker’s plan. It mentions the Republican governor’s position that state employees should pay for more of their own benefits, but it omits the issue of collective bargaining that has fueled weeks of demonstrations at the state capitol.

The ad campaign by the Republican governors is the first salvo of what Perry said would be a two-year effort by the association to “provide some effective oversight of the Obama administration” and offer solutions to issues affecting the states.

President Obama, during a White House meeting with governors from both parties earlier Monday, rallied to the defense of union workers.

“I don’t think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon,” Obama said. “We need to attract the best and brightest to public service. These times demand it.”

“The president’s got a year to explain to the American people why his approach is right and Republican governors’ approach is wrong,” Perry said in response.

The elections that put Republicans back in control of the House of Representatives also resulted in a net gain of five governorships for the party. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the Republican Governors Assn., noted that 15 of 16 states that will be battlegrounds in the 2012 race for the White House will either already have a Republican governor or host an active gubernatorial race.

The Democratic Governors Assn. responded to the GOP ad campaign by saying it “underscores the mean-spirited approach embraced by many Republican governors who have chosen to wage partisan, political battles instead of focusing on creating jobs and increasing opportunity.”

A new CBS News/New York Times poll released Monday evening indicated that Americans side with state workers on the collective bargaining issue, with 60% opposing Walker’s proposal. Only 37% of respondents said they supported asking public employees to reduce their pay or benefits to balance state budgets.