I’m sure you remember how the group that called themselves “Bikers for Trump” worked on his behalf during the 2016 presidential election and how they provided security for Trump supporters from the deranged leftist groups like antifa. Well, now they are going full political and will be working for Republican candidates from coast to coast. Surprisingly, they have found a welcoming audience from Mormons and the Amish. When the Bikers hold rallies in some areas of Pennsylvania and Ohio, you will see buggies parked all over the place.
Chris Cox, the founder and leader of Bikers for Trump, said:
“The biker is trusted because of the work that they do in raising money for veterans and Toys for Tots and fighting domestic violence and child abuse. So we’ve really got a much bigger reach and platform than I ever imagined.”
“I’m getting five calls a week from people who are running around the country that are trying to get us to come on and endorse them. The phone rings off the hook. It’s bizarre that they see us as being so influential. It makes you step back a minute.”
The bikers identify with the blue collar crowd and during the last election, the Trump message resonated with them and they began coming out to show support for their candidate.
The Bikers for Trump can point to the government shutdown in 2013 as the origin of their group. Cox, who is a chainsaw sculptor, showed up at the Lincoln Memorial with a South Carolina state flag and a lawn mower and he cut the grass around the memorial, saying he was doing it for the veterans. Then he was at an art show, where then candidate Trump was holding a rally and Cox said he realized Trump was a totally different kind of candidate and would take the country in a new direction. He began speaking to other bikers and the interest was tremendous and they eventually became the “Bikers for Trump.”
“It was like a political science experiment to see if the bikers could have an influence on state politics the way they did in the presidential race,” Mr. Cox said.
The bikers helped turn out the vote when Republican Karen Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff in the June 20 special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, filling the seat vacated when Tom Price became secretary of Health and Human Services.
They showed up to help Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia governor’s race but were politely refused by the candidate, who ultimately lost to Democrat Ralph Northam.
They rallied for Mr. Trump’s pick of Sen. Luther Strange in the Republican primary for the Alabama special election, and then for Republican nominee Roy Moore after the president endorsed him.
Now the bikers are supporting Rep. James B. Renacci, a Republican running for governor in Ohio. It was a natural alliance. Mr. Renacci has an ownership stake in three Harley-Davidson dealerships in the Buckeye State.
They are also supporting Dr Kelli Ward in Arizona and even started their own PAC that raised $10,000 on the first day.
You can expect to see much more of them in the future.