An energetic crowd rallied around Gov. Scott Walker during election night at the Republican Party of Waukesha County’s headquarters in Waukesha, where the embattled governor told the crowd he needs their support as he faces a recall election on June 5.

“I need your help,” Walker told the cheering crowd. “I need your help for the next four weeks.”

Walker’s controversial legislation that limited public unions in collective bargaining matters was the catalyst for the recall election against the governor and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Walker took time during Tuesday’s primary rally to take a few pokes at his challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who won the Democratic primary against four challengers.

“For anyone out there that has any doubt about what the future would be if we make a change, just look at where we are headed moving forward vs. where Milwaukee is today,” Walker said. “In Wisconsin, over the past year, we have balanced the budget without raising taxes, without massive layoffs, without cutting important things like Medicaid.

"In contrast, in Milwaukee over the last eight years where our opponent has been the mayor, the unemployment rate has gone up 28 percent, property taxes has gone up 25 percent, Milwaukee is one of the poorest big cities in the entire country and has one of the worst graduation rates in all of the United States of America and just this year their bond rating was down graded — just like Illinois’.

“We don’t want to be like Illinois. We don’t want to be like Milwaukee. We want to be like Wisconsin and move us forward.”

State Sen. Rich Zipperer, R-Pewaukee, told Patch after Walker’s speech that the voters in the room were energized. The governor also appears energized as he is campaigning, according to Zipperer.

The key to winning the recall election, Zipperer said, will be Walker’s record at providing cost savings throughout Wisconsin, including at local government and school district levels.

“The governor campaigned on a promise that he was going to fix the budget without raising taxes and focus on getting our economy going again, He has done exactly that in office,” Zipperer said. “He is focused on the economy and he did not raise taxes. He did the necessary reforms to bring spending in line. I think he is going to be re-elected in the recall.”

Waukesha resident Beth Raush was among those in attendance at the Walker rally party. She received Kleefisch’s autograph on her Support Scott Walker campaign sign before the event began. She’s supporting the governor and the lieutenant governor for various reasons.

“I like his reforms, I like what he has done to change schools and the school systems,” Raush said. “They are saving our state a lot of money and helping us.”