FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2007

Contact: Michael Kerr, MRF Vice President
boz@mrf.org (e-mail)

Tommy Thompson and the "Sturgis Factor"

His campaign has very little money, his polling numbers are... well, let's just say they are sub-par, and he is not exactly the darling of national media. Yet there is an almost religious like fervor among his supporters that makes former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson's presidential candidacy hard to dismiss.

Governor Thompson is a motorcycle rider. Not a photo op or Saturday afternoon parade rider, but a real motorcyclist who takes thousand mile plus trips. He has won much respect from Wisconsin bikers for his time in the saddle and they regard him as one of their own.

Despite a lack of special interest cash, Governor Thompson feels that his campaign of commonsense conservatism will resonate in the heartland. His campaign strategy is that a win or a very strong showing in the Iowa presidential straw poll this August would act as a springboard to his moving into contention for the Republican nomination. He is asking his friends in the motorcycle community for help.

In writing about Governor Thompson's campaign strategy in the Washington Post, columnist George Will described something called the "Sturgis Factor." The "Sturgis Factor", as defined by Mr. Will, is the possibility of a large number of motorcyclists returning home from the annual motorcycle rally and participating in the straw poll. Could this politically hard to define voting block turn from the current front running juggernauts and cast their lot with a fellow rider such as Mr. Thompson? In a small sampling such as the straw poll a solid block vote would have an impact. A strong showing by the governor could change the dynamic of the GOP race as it heads into the primary season.

Before one snickers and turns away, it may be worth a moment to recall some early presidential frontrunners who purportedly couldn't lose (anyone remember Gary Hart?) and a once obscure governor from a small southern state who stunned the political world in 1992 by beating an incumbent president who had a double digit lead early on in the race. Picking whom will be the next President of the United States sixteen months before Election Day is akin to playing the horses on a muddy race track. It's not usual for the frontrunner to fade in the stretch.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (more specifically MRFPAC) is not endorsing a candidate in the Iowa straw poll. We are encouraging involvement however.

A group of riders has formed "Team Tommy" to support the governor's campaign. Team Tommy counts among its members the founder of ABATE of Wisconsin. They are planning a ride on August 10 in Ames to support the governor's efforts which will coincide with the Iowa straw poll. Non-Iowa residents will be welcome to participate in the parade. Check out Team Tommy's web site at www.teamtommy.org and consider supporting a fellow rider.

No matter which presidential candidate you support, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or independent you have to admit that seeing terms such as the "Sturgis Factor" used by such a prestigious journalist as George Will means that we are doing something right. Perhaps a new term has been coined here. Let's hope the "Sturgis Factor" is something that will blossom into increased political involvement and activism by motorcyclists and play a part in many congressional and local races throughout the country in 2008.

Best of luck to our good friend, Governor Tommy Thompson.

Ride Free Forever
Michael Kerr
MRF Vice President

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(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
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organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
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