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WAUKESHA - A partisan crowd packed the Country Springs Hotel Monday night. Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Scott Walker and Mark Neumann were there to participate on Newsradio 620 WTMJ's "Insight 2010" with Charlie Sykes.

Sykes didn't disappoint his fans, placing an empty suit on stage to represent Democrat Tom Barrett. He fired off a series of questions to the suit he said he would have wanted to pose to the Milwaukee Mayor.

Walker seized that cue immediately, firing his first salvo at the man he expects to face in the general election.

"Tom puts his faith in government," Walker said in a clear, strong voice. "More spending, more taxes, more programs. I have had a career doing just the opposite of that."

In recent days, Neumann has attempted to turn up the heat on Walker. He has described Walker as a Milwaukee politician not unlike Barrett. Still, during Monday's forum, there were few fireworks. The two candidates appeared to have much more in common than not.

Neumann defined his economic view by pointing out the successes of the congress he was elected to in 1994.

"So we went to Washington, folks this is 15 years ago, with this theory," Neumann began. "Control government spending so we can cut taxes. People will keep more of their own money and in fact the economy will boom."

Walker showed an equally developed sense of history. He went even further back in history to find an economic role model.

"Ronald Reagan, when he fully enacted his economic plan and slashed the marginal tax rate from 1983 through the end of the decade, we had the largest peacetime economic boom in American history," said Walker.

Neumann, largely regarded as the underdog in the Republican race, vowed to support the choice of his party in the general election. That statement ended speculation he might run as a third party candidate if defeated by Walker.