--- title: Roast and Ride: Why Republicans Ride Motorcycles description: In recent years, Republicans have come to adopt the motorcycle—and Harley-Davidsons, especially—as a symbol of conservatism. canonical: https://time.com/4471049/roast-ride-joni-ernst-republicans-motorcycles/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-29T18:00:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:54.883Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Republicans Ride Motorcycles og:description: A symbol of freedom. og:url: https://time.com/4471049/roast-ride-joni-ernst-republicans-motorcycles/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaca9eec8e3a857a2/6988a3fc5f570f4438b22555/roast-and-ride-joni-ernst.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Iowa Senator Joni Ernst arrives at her annual Roast and Ride at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Republicans Ride Motorcycles twitter:description: A symbol of freedom. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaca9eec8e3a857a2/6988a3fc5f570f4438b22555/roast-and-ride-joni-ernst.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Republicans Ride Motorcycles > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e2c590d1-15bb-4df2-95e1-66cd9cc50485&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Aug 29, 2016 6:00 PM UTC  Iowa Senator Joni Ernst arrives via motorcycle to her annual Roast and Ride at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines Aug. 27, 2016. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst arrives via motorcycle to her annual Roast and Ride at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines Aug. 27, 2016. Scott Morgan—Reuters by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Aug 29, 2016 6:00 PM UTC As Sen. Joni Ernst walked around the Big Barn Harley-Davidson in Des Moines Saturday, shaking hands and taking photos with constituents, she insisted that [the day’s events](http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2016/08/27/donald-trump-roast-and-ride-iowa-joni-ernst/89424098/) were something other than political. “We don’t really talk politics so much when we’re on the motorcycle,” the Iowa Republican said. “It’s more a symbol of freedom and being out on the road and experiencing life on the road.” Ernst and her guests, a group of more than 400 bikers, would soon hit the road for her the second annual Roast and Ride, an event that officially designed to honor veterans and unofficially designed to serve as a cattle-call for presidential candidates in a battleground state. Last year’s event attracted Marco Rubio, Rick Perry, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina among others, while Donald Trump headlined this year’s event. But even if the speakers hadn’t made it clear that the Roast and Ride is a conservative event, the motorcycles themselves would have done the trick. In recent years, Republicans have come to adopt the motorcycle—and Harley-Davidsons, especially—as a symbol of conservatism, a metaphor for the freedom and individualism they hold sacrosanct. Apart from Ernst, motorcycle-riding Republican politicians include [Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker](http://www.nbcnews.com/video/scott-walker-on-motorcycle-tour-its-all-about-freedom-520350275674), [Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner](http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/08/22/gov-rauner-riding-motorcycle-back-to-springfield-to-raise-money-for-honor-flights/), [former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1147247,00.html), [former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman](https://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/politics/jon-huntsman-rides-a-motorcycle-in-nh/2011/09/16/gIQALMpQXK%5Fvideo.html), [former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-08-03/news/9908040318%5F1%5Flake-superior-wisconsin-gov-fresh-air) and [former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels](http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/news-opinion/mitch-daniels-my-ride/). (Some Democrats also ride: [West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin](http://www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=68611251-9665-492d-8d8a-8e50c89b7094), [New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-launches-first-ever-statewide-breast-cancer-motorcycle-ride-raise-awareness) and [former Montana Sen. Max Baucus](http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/04/nation/na-briefs4.2).) Among Republican politicians, the Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson is the preferred ride. “There’s a particular made-in-America brand that is the Harley-Davidson that right-wing Republicans sort of gravitate toward,” said Suzanne Ferriss, professor emeritus at Nova Southeastern University who has researched motorcycle culture. On Saturday, bike engines purred as politicians and voters milled around the outside of the pale yellow store, which is, in fact, the size and shape of a barn, waiting for the kick-off. Inside the dealership, one employee said the bikes can cost more than $40,000\. Signs that pay tribute to “an American endend—Harley-Davidson—are part of the interior décor. Steven Alford, a retired Nova professor who has done research with Ferriss, said the motorcycle has a rebellious appeal that appeals to politicians who are trying to project a maverick image. “We have this image of motorcyclists as a sort of outlaw,” he said. But at the Roast and Ride, bikers said that was far from the truth. “I think that people think people on motorcycles are hoodlums and stuff, but everybody that I know that rides a bike has a normal everyday job like everyone else,” said Kim Huckins, 56, of Clarinda. Omaha resident Chris Taylor, 47, agreed, noting that bikers often appear at charity events. “I think we’re a really large community that is caring and helps,” he said. “We’re just not Democratic, you know? The majority of us are Republicans. And I don’t really know why we gravitate to that, but I think it’s just the type of person that a typical motorcyclist is.” Other bikers agreed that knowing a politician can ride makes them seem more relatable. “They aren’t worried about being in a Cadillac and their fancy shoes and their fancy dinners,” said Lisa Vandemark, 49, of Woodbine. “They’re just one of the people.”  Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, waves to supporters as she rides the lead bike in a group motorcycle ride in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin, sits on a Harley Davidson motorcycle as he awaits the start of a group ride at Big Barn Harley Davidson in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  Bruce Rauner, Republican candidate Illinois Governor, arrives for Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Ill., August 14, 2014. Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call,Inc.  Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson gets on a Harley Davidson motorcycle clad in his leather pants for a ride outside HHS headquarters 16 June 2003 in Washington, DC. STEPHEN JAFFE—AFP/Getty Images  Former U.S. Vice presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin rides on a motorcycle during the "Rolling Thunder" Memorial Day weekend parade May 29, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen riding his Indian Motorcycle on September 25, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. 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