--- title: Why Republicans Run in Cowboy Boots description: Even if they're not from the West, Republican politicians today love to wear cowboy boots on the campaign trail. canonical: https://time.com/3682230/republican-politicians-cowboy-boots/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-26T17:30:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:02.994Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Republicans Run in Cowboy Boots og:description: Even if they're not from the West. og:url: https://time.com/3682230/republican-politicians-cowboy-boots/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte68103211f309fc8/69877bd55f570f6addb14e72/cowboy-boots-politicians-paul-ryan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Cowboy Boots Paul Ryan og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Republicans Run in Cowboy Boots twitter:description: Even if they're not from the West. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte68103211f309fc8/69877bd55f570f6addb14e72/cowboy-boots-politicians-paul-ryan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Republicans Run in Cowboy Boots > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Jan 26, 2015 5:30 PM UTC  Even Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has been known to wear them. Even Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has been known to wear them. J.D. Pooley—Getty Images by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Jan 26, 2015 5:30 PM UTC  Like a lot of Republican ideas, the trend toward wearing cowboy boots began with Ronald Reagan. Popperfoto/Getty Images  President George W. Bush, showing off boots with the presidential seal here at his inauguration, furthered the trend. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP  Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, shown here on the stump in Iowa, favored cowboy boots. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  They're also a favored fashion statement for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. NBC News/Getty Images  Even former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was known to sport a pair. Jose Luis Magana—AP  It's not just men. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been known to put on a pair of cowboy boots. Jeff J. Newman—ZUMA Press/Corbis  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also goes for the look. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Like his predecessor, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry long favored cowboy boots, but he's no longer able to wear them. Tom Worner—AP  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is also a fan. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also favors boots with blue jeans, a classic Western look. Charles Ommanney—Getty Images  These days, if you're running for president as a Republican, chance are good that you are wearing cowboy boots. Richard Shiro—AP  Even Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has been known to wear them. J.D. Pooley—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3682230/republican-politicians-cowboy-boots/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3682230/republican-politicians-cowboy-boots/"},"headline":"Why Republicans Run in Cowboy Boots","datePublished":"2015-01-26T17:30:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:02.994Z","description":"Cowboy boots are stylish. They give you a little extra height. 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