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Walker: Want presidency? Have to be crazy
01:03 - Source: WITI

Story highlights

Wisconsin's governor says he has a lot of time to run for president, if he wants to

Walker noted that he could wait to run for 20 years and be same age as Hillary Clinton

The governor also said "you have to be crazy to want to be president"

Walker is often mentioned as a strong GOP contender for the 2016 race

CNN  — 

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he feels no pressure to run for president at 47 because a certain political rival of his is toying with the idea well into her 60s.

“I could run 20 years from now and still be about the same age as the former Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) is right now,” the Republican governor said in an interview Sunday with CNN affiliate WITI.

Walker, who was recently re-elected for a second term, says he believes that the closer you get to running for president, the more you realize how crazy you have to be to actually do it.

“The closer you get to something like that the more you realize – and I say this only half jokingly – that you have to be crazy to want to be president,” he said. “And anyone who has seen pictures of this president or any of the former presidents can see the before and after. No matter how fit, no matter how young they are, they age pretty rapidly.”

Noting the toll a presidency takes on one’s health, Walker opened up about his bald spot becoming an issue on the campaign trail.

“One of the frustrations for my campaign staff is they felt – for whatever reason – my opponent largely faced little or no scrutiny about anything, so it was an interesting contrast when I talked about the bald spot on the back of my head, which has admittedly grown beyond just being the focal point of a story or two,” Scott said. “It was just one of those things where you raise your eyebrows and say, ‘really?’ But, you know, it is what it is.”

But despite his national presence and ongoing speculation about a 2016 presidential run, Walker says that he still feels compelled to serve out his term as governor.

“The only thing I think someone … should run for president not because they want to be or yearn to be, but because they feel called to,” he said. “Right now, I still feel called to be the governor of the state of Wisconsin, and I’m going to do the best job I can over the next four years.”

This is not the first time the potential 2016 candidate has taken a dig at Clinton’s age. Shortly after the latest midterm elections, Walker told Fox News that Clinton, who recently turned 67, embodies “old” politics.

“I think the biggest loser (in the midterms) was Hillary Clinton,” Walker said. “She embodies Washington. She embodies that old, tired top-down approach from the government. I think in the states as governors, we offer a much better alternative, and I think there’s a number of us who would be good prospects out there.”