Hundreds gathered in the Capitol rotunda Monday for the inauguration of Gov. Scott Walker, who promised swift economic reform for Wisconsin.
After being sworn in by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and introduced by his sons Matt and Alex, Walker laid out the goals for his administration.
""Today, I stand before you not as the governor of one political party or another; or the governor of one part of the state or another. Today, I stand before you as the governor of all of the people in the great state of Wisconsin,"" Walker said after thanking those in attendance.
As he did on the campaign trail, Walker promised job creation and the economy would be his top priorities, and also discussed his belief in small government and freedom for the citizens of Wisconsin.
""Our rights as free people are given by our creator, not the government. Among these rights is the right to nurture our freedom and vitality through limited government,"" Walker said. ""Under our administration, state government will do only what is necessary—no more, no less.""
He restated his goal of creating 250,000 new private sector jobs by 2015, pointing out that former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who attended the ceremony, created 258,000 jobs in his first term as governor.
Walker looked to past Republican leaders for inspiration throughout his address, quoting former Governors Thompson and Patrick Lucey, as well as former President Ronald Reagan.
The ceremony lasted approximately an hour and 15 minutes, with three musical interludes and four elected officials taking their oaths of office.
Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, State Treasurer Kurt Schuller and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen were all sworn in during the ceremony in addition to Walker.
Van Hollen spoke, thanking the people of Wisconsin for re-electing him.
""It's an awesome experience to serve as your attorney general, not just for four years, but for four more years,"" Van Hollen said.
Also in attendance were former Gov. Jim Doyle, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisc., U.S. Senator-elect Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., and members of the state legislature.
