Instead, after signing a bill that would likely have shuttered a Wisconsin abortion clinic had the courts not tossed it, Walker ran an ad where he declared “there’s no doubt in my mind the decision of whether or not to end a pregnancy is an agonizing one.” And he said the bill leaves the final decision on abortion “to a woman and her doctor.”

It was textbook Walker. He was getting pounded for his position by abortion rights supporters, and though he is clearly on the right of the political dial on this issue, his delivery in the ad was designed to assure swing voters there was nothing threatening about his beliefs. But the language of the ad also underscores one of the factors Wisconsin insiders believe has contributed to Walker’s early struggles on the national campaign trail—his tendency to create his own reality.

He’s also prone to brainstorming out loud as he sifts and winnows to refine his message. And while he likes to say he’s the most scrutinized governor in America, he hasn’t had to worry before if his positions in the Wisconsin city of La Crosse were different from what he said in Green Bay.