Story highlights
- GOP hopefuls hang out with Harley enthusiasts at event in Iowa
- They're trying to make connections months ahead of caucuses
Boone, Iowa (CNN)It was loud. There was a lot of leather. And there were a half dozen 2016 presidential hopefuls all vying for votes in the state that will hold the first presidential contest in February.
With its strong attendance -- both from voters and candidates -- Saturday's inaugural "Roast and Ride" here in Boone promised to become a must-stop on the path to the 2016 presidential race. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst served as master of ceremonies at an event that she hopes will become the successor to former Sen. Tom Harkin's "steak fry," which drew Democratic presidential candidates every four years.
Eyes on Scott Walker at Iowa's first 'Roast and Ride' 01:00
Ernst, a Republican, was elected in 2014 as an Iowa farm girl who told voters that after castrating hogs she'd know how to "make 'em squeal" in Washington.
But she also caught the attention of Hawkeye state voters with an ad where she rode her Harley-Davidson motorcycle to a shooting range and trained her fire on "Obamacare," while making it clear that she carried more than lipstick in her purse.
The freshman Iowa senator has promised to stay neutral in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, but she rode on the 38-mile ride from Des Moines to Boone with Wisconsin Sen. Scott Walker, a friend and fellow Harley rider.
Walker, who hails from a neighboring state and has won praise from Iowa voters for taking on labor unions in his own state, has led in the polls here in Iowa for several months. But many political strategists here -- who have seen wild swings in recent presidential cycles -- have cautioned that early polls have little significance in determining who will be the winner of the Iowa caucuses in February.
More than a half dozen campaigns were out in force, trying to organize voters and sign up volunteers. The ride drew hundreds of Harley-Davidson riders, but also many families who were treated with free barbecue, games such as corn hole, and a moon bounce where kids could blow off steam far from the speeches at the podium.
Though Walker had the advantage of riding just behind Ernst into the ride, voters here were clearly open to their options.
Rather than ride with the Ernst crowd, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry forged his own path with a ride to Boone from the appropriately named town of Perry, Iowa.
"Ride with Rick" was a fundraiser for Puppy Jake, a program that connects veterans with service dogs. Before departing on a motorcycle belonging to an injured veteran, Perry spoke to a crowd surrounded by veterans Marcus Luttrell and Dan Moran, as well as Taya Kyle, widow of American Sniper author Chris Kyle.
Although Sen. Marco Rubio wasn't able to take up Joni Ernst on her offer to ride on the back of her bike, he said he's planning a different kind of ride.
"If we could get a jet ski ride, I could take her," the Floridian told voters near his tent.
Other non-Harley riding candidates -- including Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson -- also had many fans within the crowd in Boone.
Still, Walker may have garnered the most attention after riding into Boone with Ernst. Though he has not yet declared his candidacy, Walker immediately greeted voters upon his arrival, walking along a white picket fence to take photos and shake hands with people on the other side.
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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has said his decision to run for the Republican nomination will be based on two things: his family and whether he can lift America's spirit. His father and brother are former Presidents.
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has created a political committee that will help him travel and raise money while he considers a 2016 bid. Additionally, billionaire businessman David Koch said in a private gathering in Manhattan this month that he wants Walker to be the next president, but he doesn't plan to back anyone in the primaries.
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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is establishing a committee to formally explore a White House bid. "If I run, my candidacy will be based on the idea that the American people are ready to try a dramatically different direction," he said in a news release provided to CNN on Monday, May 18.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, has said the United States needs a "political revolution" of working-class Americans looking to take back control of the government from billionaires. He first announced the run in an email to supporters early on the morning of Thursday, April 30.
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On March 2, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson announced the launch of an exploratory committee. The move will allow him to raise money that could eventually be transferred to an official presidential campaign and indicates he is on track with stated plans to formally announce a bid in May.
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South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has said he'll make a decision about a presidential run sometime soon. A potential bid could focus on Graham's foreign policy stance.
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Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid Sunday, April 12, through a video message on social media. She continues to be considered the overwhelming front-runner among possible 2016 Democratic presidential candidates.
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Sen. Marco Rubio announced his bid for the 2016 presidency on Monday, April 13, a day after Hillary Clinton, with a rally in Florida. He's a Republican rising star from Florida who swept into office in 2010 on the back of tea party fervor. But his support of comprehensive immigration reform, which passed the Senate but has stalled in the House, has led some in his party to sour on his prospects.
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Lincoln Chafee, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat former governor and senator of Rhode Island, said he's running for president on Thursday, April 16, as a Democrat, but his spokeswoman said the campaign is still in the presidential exploratory committee stages.
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Jim Webb, the former Democratic senator from Virginia, is entertaining a 2016 presidential run. In January, he told NPR that his party has not focused on white, working-class voters in past elections.
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Vice President Joe Biden has twice before made unsuccessful bids for the Oval Office -- in 1988 and 2008. A former senator known for his foreign policy and national security expertise, Biden made the rounds on the morning shows recently and said he thinks he'd "make a good President."
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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has started a series of town halls in New Hampshire to test the presidential waters, becoming more comfortable talking about national issues and staking out positions on hot topic debates.
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Rep. Paul Ryan, a former 2012 vice presidential candidate and fiscally conservative budget hawk, says he's keeping his "options open" for a possible presidential run but is not focused on it.
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Sen. Rand Paul officially announced his presidential bid on Tuesday, April 7, at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky. The tea party favorite probably will have to address previous controversies that include comments on civil rights, a plagiarism allegation and his assertion that the top NSA official lied to Congress about surveillance.
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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced his 2016 presidential bid on Monday, March 23, in a speech at Liberty University. The first-term Republican and tea party darling is considered a gifted orator and smart politician. He is best known in the Senate for his marathon filibuster over defunding Obamacare.
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Democrat Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland governor, released a "buzzy" political video in November 2013 in tandem with visits to New Hampshire. He also headlined a Democratic Party event in South Carolina, which holds the first Southern primary.
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Republican Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, announced in 2013 that he would not be seeking re-election, leading to speculation that he might mount a second White House bid.
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Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a social conservative, gave Mitt Romney his toughest challenge in the nomination fight last time out and has made trips recently to early voting states, including Iowa and South Carolina.
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Political observers expect New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to yield to Hillary Clinton's run in 2016, fearing there wouldn't be room in the race for two Democrats from the Empire State.
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"I'm a retired teacher and I'm so glad you took on the teachers union," one woman told him.
Wearing a Harley shirt from Des Moines, Walker frequently told people "it was good to ride with Joni" when asked how the ride was. Earlier, in interviews with the press, he was careful to avoid the assertion that he had an advantage in Iowa because of his affinity with motorcycle riders.
One man he greeted was wearing a handwritten badge that declared he was supporting Walker for president. "Also Rand Paul for Vice President in 2016," it also said.
Perry arrived a short time later, with his own pool of bikers behind him. "It was good to be out on the road," the wind-blown politician said as he got off his bike and took his helmet off.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee greeted voters under his tent. Many of them told him they hoped he would win the Iowa caucuses for a second time. But Harley riders, admittedly, may not be Huckabee's niche.
Asked whether he also rode a motorcycle, Huckabee said no: "There's just a few things in life I'm not ready to do."
