Scott Walker for President in 2016?

Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. Saturday to include CPAC straw poll results.

Coming off Mitt Romney's defeat in November, Republicans are looking for a strong candidate who will give the party a chance at taking back the White House in 2016.

Could Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker be their man?

Even before the November presidential election, there has been speculation that Walker — along with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and others — would go after the GOP nomination in 2016.

And in an interview with Politico on Friday, Walker did little to quell that speculation.

“Would I ever be (interested)?" Walker told the political web site. "Possibly. I guess the only thing I’d say is I’m not ruling it out."

Walker also declined to say whether he would finish out his second term as governor if he is re-elected in 2014.

“For me, it’s really a measure of what I’ve accomplished and what more I could accomplish if I was in a different position,” Walker told Politico.

Walker spoke at the high-profile Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C, on Saturday morning, where he told the audience that the states — including Wisconsin — were leading the way to reforming government, the Huffington Post reported.

"Real reform does not happen in Washington, it happens in the statehouses throughout this country," Walker said, noting that he, in particular, was leading the way to end "government dependency."

Walker and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan also were among 23 Republicans whose names on a 2016 presidential straw poll ballot at CPAC on Saturday. Walker placed sixth in the poll, which was won by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to Politico. Walker received 5 percent of the vote, while Ryan came in fifth with 6 percent.

Walker's appearance at CPAC and his comments to Politico come just days after it was announced that the governor will be the keynote speaker at a county Republican fundraiser in Iowa, a key state for anyone with presidential aspirations.

Walker agreed to speak at the Polk County GOP dinner in late May, according to Patch's media partner WISN 12 News.

The latest speculation about Walker making a White House run prompted ridicule from Mike Tate, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party:

"That Scott Walker would openly contemplate a run for president after a dismal record of job loss, division, diminished standards and unethical conduct is shocking in itself. And it says something about this Republican Party that the best they can do is a governor whose failed policies have caused his state to plummet to 42nd in the nation in job growth and last in the Midwest in every economic indicator.

“Scott Walker is openly and baldly displaying that he would rather serve his ambition than the people of Wisconsin. Which is disappointing, but not surprising.”