Walker sticks to record during first GOP debate

Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker speaks Thursday as Donald Trump listens during the first GOP debate at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

By JULIE BYKOWICZ
and THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — The first Republican debate of the 2016 campaign for president opened with an absolute bang as billionaire businessman Donald Trump refused to pledge his loyalty to the GOP.

Over the course of the next two hours, the 10 leading candidates for the Republican nomination argued about issues that included immigration, taxes, health care, individual rights and foreign policy.

And there were plenty of personality conflicts, too.

Here’s how Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker did in Thursday’s debate:

Walker avoided the debate’s testy back-and-forth. He mostly stuck to giving answers to the questions posed.

He talked often of his record in Wisconsin. He said even when he drew more than 100,000 protesters to the state Capitol, upset by his ultimately successful effort to strip away the union rights of most public employees, he was “trying to do the right thing” and acted in an upright manner.

He said he is “not a perfect man,” but he has tried to act with respect.

“What God calls us to do is follow his will,” he said. “And, ultimately, that’s what I’m going to try to do. And I hope people have seen that in my state.”