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Jesse Ventura To Run for Senate?

July 09, 2008 9:20 AM

In an interview with NPR's David Welna that ran today  former Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ind-Minn., sounds like he may run for Senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whom Ventura defeated for governor in 1998, as well as Democratic nominee and former Saturday Night Live humorist Al Franken.

Ventura, born Jim Janos, tells Welna that the main reason he would run is because of Coleman's support for the war in Iraq. "That's the reason I run," he says. "I run because it angers me...All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: if you were in a dark alley which one of the three of us would you want with you?

Ventura had a stormy tenure as governor and horrible relations with the Minnesota press corps. Thus, it was the June issue of a local wine magazine where he chose to drop hints about his pending campaign.

"I'm not a politician, I'm a statesman," he told The Midwest Wine Connection. "I do one term, and then I go back to the private sector. If I get back into the fray again this year, it's only because I've been gone five years back to the private sector. That's what I did when I was mayor. That's a statesman. That's not a career politician."

Ventura said of Coleman, "the guy has not had a job in the private sector his entire adult life. He's been collecting government checks since the day he got out of law school and went to work for the attorney general's office. So when Norm Coleman tells people in the private sector he feels their pain, how? He's never been in it. At least Al Franken knows what the private sector is. I would like to send him out and get a real job in the private sector."

Ventura called Franken an opportunist and a carpetbagger. "He hasn't lived here in 30 years, and he's only coming back to Minnesota for the convenience of his own political agenda. Why didn't he run in the states he was living in? Clearly, for being a Harvard graduate, he's not too smart on taxes, is he? Everybody laughs, saying I came from wrestling. But at least I knew when I wrestled in 40 states, I had to pay taxes in those 40 states. You just have to do the paperwork. I find it unbelievable that someone who could go to Harvard didn't know that or let it slip. Blaming his accountant is worse, because now he's turning into a politician. He's not accepting responsibility for his actions."

A recent state poll has Coleman leading with 52 percent of the vote and Franken with 40 percent.

A hypothetical race with Ventura shows Coleman with 41 percent, Franken with 31 percent and Ventura with 23 percent.

Of course, as this priced-to-move 1999 biography of Ventura recalls those poll numbers are far better than Ventura's numbers in his 1998 gubernatorial run. In June 1998, Ventura only had 7% support. In November, he won with 37% of the vote.

- jpt

UPDATE: Ultimately those Ventura observers -- who argued that the former governor's occasionally confusing syntax should be taken into account when reporting his seemingly definitive declaration "that's the reason I run" -- are correct.

Ventura told The Associated Press he had been speaking hypothetically to NPR, that in responding to Welna's question about why he would run, "I gave him the reasons why I would run. But I said ultimately, it will come down to whether I want to change my lifestyle and go to that lifestyle or not." Reports the AP: "Ventura says bluntly that no one knows whether he will run -- not even his wife. He says the decision won't be made until next Tuesday, the filing deadline."

This blog post has been updated to reflect Ventura's carification.

July 9, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (178)

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I think he has the statesman def down right. He is interested not only in our country but the "real people" who live and work here. I would vote for him if I lived in Minnesota and he ran for Congress. Go for it Jessee!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Anne | May 14, 2009 9:23:55 AM

Minnesota should demand a winner take all cage match between al franken and norm colmen, former governor jessie the body ventura can be the guest referee.

Posted by: Robert | Jan 10, 2009 12:47:11 AM

AL FRANKEN IS SO STUPID HE HAS TO STAND UP ON THE ROOF OF A HOUSE TO RAISE HIS IQ

Posted by: Wildbird | Oct 4, 2008 11:31:21 PM

shock the world, again, you got my vote.

Posted by: RDSchlander | Jul 24, 2008 8:36:01 PM

Go get em Jessie. We need to get the money sucking humps out of office. It is time people who have struggled at some point in their lives get back in power. We are currently controlled and manipulated by wealthy elite who play two sides of the coin and are in it together to gain as much uneeded wealth as they can. It is time to put the business community under tight control again and give the country back to the people who have worked for the benifits the elite are now taking away from us. The elite live under a socialized shell while the poeple live with no benefits at all and bail the incompitent for their mass incompitence. It is time we took our country back and put people with ambition back in charge of things. It is time to get the " I got mine" crowd out of power and get some people who care about all the people back in power. The few have enough, and the people who do the work are being starved out. It cmes down to how many steaks can one eat - how many homes does one need. Well most americans will never own a home, while the wealthy have one in every state. Dont let them get you down Jessie. As long as they are attacking you they are in fear of you, so just take the heat as a sign of a job well done buddy. go get em.

Posted by: oly | Jul 21, 2008 3:58:28 PM

Speak for yourself, Kent.

"We" did NOT love Ventura as governor of Minnesota. He was an ignorant, loud-mouthed attention hound. Nothing more.

And nothing has changed.

Posted by: Jeff | Jul 14, 2008 4:54:27 PM

Jesse.........run for Senate. We all can see you want to. You know you will win. You will bring in many new voters that want you to help MN. We believe in you...........

Posted by: Kent Fitzsimmons | Jul 10, 2008 3:21:02 PM

Listen........all it will take is a debate between the three. Ventura will beat up on Coleman for being out of touch with the private sector and regular folks. And Franken will try to tell a joke. Ventura will attack Franken on paying taxes and it is all over. Senator Jesse Ventura......sounds good...very good.

Posted by: Kent Fitzsimmons | Jul 10, 2008 3:15:58 PM

Ventura is terrific. We loved him as Governor of MN, and will vote him in as Senator. The other two parties are scared of him, and will gang up on him. Ventura wants the challenge and will kick butt. Coleman....are you ready for another whipping? Franken.....you can watch. Then run.

Posted by: Kent Fitzsimmons | Jul 10, 2008 3:10:50 PM

Look Jessie, all you are doing is going to make it easier for Coleman to win.

I understand that you have a mission to make the third party stick.

but you used, abused, and hurt the Minnesotants enough with that cause, go somewhere else and try it out.

For its was because of you I jumped the fraken train!

Posted by: Anon | Jul 10, 2008 2:38:27 PM

Typical Jesse. Say one stupid thing. Backtrack. Say some more stupid things. Do everything possible to attract as much attention as possible.

I lived in Minnesota during the Jesse as Governor years. It was nothing short of a debacle.

If Minnesotans elect him to the Senate, they deserve to be the laughing-stock of the nation - which they WILL be.

Posted by: Jeff | Jul 9, 2008 10:15:09 PM

Unlike most politicians, Jesse tells it how he see's it with no BS. I didn't always agree with him (and did not vote for him), but I respected him for speaking his mind and providing a "3rd way" outside the 2 party system to get things done.

Posted by: real Minnesotan | Jul 9, 2008 5:53:32 PM

Run Jesse Run! It would be great!

Posted by: Mark | Jul 9, 2008 5:40:28 PM

outrageous what a side show

Posted by: jase | Jul 9, 2008 5:29:54 PM

Al Franken should not be allowed to run!!! He tried cheating the very country that made him a millionaire!!

Posted by: john | Jul 9, 2008 5:24:31 PM

Ventura remained a true conservative throughout his tenure. He also is well known for promoting and acting with transparency in government, the likes that the state had never seen before him.
I question the comments on this site because 90% seem slanted against Mr. Ventura in an arrogant manner. Is this propaganda?

Posted by: Ryan S | Jul 9, 2008 5:17:42 PM

"I've often said that in Minnesota, politics is a spectator sport. This proves it."

--Actually, Minnesota has some of the strongest participatory democracy in the country. You can laugh at our politicians, but our policies on health care and education are the envy of the nation. We produce smart, healthy, happy people, and our politics are clean. With success like that, we've got time for entertainment in our politics!

Posted by: johnnyshwai | Jul 9, 2008 4:58:09 PM

All this just makes me wish for a slot on all ballots labled NONE OF THE ABOVE. If this got the most votes none of the ones on the ballot could run for the office again (EVER)!!! The parties would then have two weeks to choose a new nominee and then have only two weeks for campaigning before another election is held. No hidden small print exceptions or anything just a clear choice ballot.

Posted by: J R M | Jul 9, 2008 4:58:05 PM

If Jessie the Body runs solely on his opposition to the war then he will get
"smackdown"...every day it becomes clearer that this war was just & necessary. It will be viewed someday as a successful part of the larger war against those who want to terrorize, threaten & taunt the rest of the civilized world. Every one of our 4000 soldiers who died are heroes and those of you who are going crazy with rage at my assertions, just know that a conflict with Iran is just around the corner. Sorry folks,and apologies to John Lennon & the Imagine crowd, but it's the age we live in...

Posted by: Steve Carter | Jul 9, 2008 4:42:55 PM

jesse is the MAN...

he's right..he's a statesman....not a career politician...I only wish he lived in my state...

hes got my vote...and I live in Michigan

Posted by: bill h | Jul 9, 2008 4:38:16 PM

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