MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker has struck a new tone recently, and he brought it to Maquoketa today.

“If you want someone who’s going to wreak havoc on Washington, you want someone who’s actually been tested and hasn’t backed down,” the Wisconsin governor said to about 30 people during a campaign stop at Decker Hotel.

Walker, who was riding high in Iowa polls before Donald Trump’s rise, has in recent days started using the new phrase on the campaign trail. He started referring to himself as someone who “wreaked havoc” on Madison, Wis., and will do the same in Washington, D.C., a reference to his battle with state employee labor unions that largely have defined his tenure as governor.

John Kelley, a Boston, Mass., resident in Iowa visiting relatives, told Walker he wished the governor would “take a page out of Donald Trump’s book” and become more vocal about his platform.