Jesse Ventura Could Run for President: Says "No"

Former professional wrestler turned Governor of Minnesota, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, announcing a run for President of the United States?  On Tuesday night, he shot down the idea based on not having enough money and pointing out it was already too late for the process.

The insinuation was made during promos for Ventura's appearance.  He told Larry that he would not be voting for any of the Democratic or Republican candidates.  Instead he would vote for an "Independent", which he was as Governor of Minnesota. 

"I wish there was an option for 'none of the above', I bet that choice would win," he said. 

Ventura ran for Governor of Minnesota in 1998 as the nominee for the Reform Party of Minnesota (he later joined the Independence Party of Minnesota when it broke from its association with the Reform Party of the United States of America). His campaign consisted of a combination of aggressive grassroots events and original television spots, designed by quirky adman Bill Hillsman, using the phrase "Don't vote for politics as usual." He spent considerably less than his opponents (about $600,000), and is widely regarded as one of the first candidates to effectively use the Internet as a medium of reaching out to voters in a political campaign.

He won the election in November 1998, narrowly (and unexpectedly) defeating the major-party candidates: St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman (Republican) and Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III (Democratic-Farmer-Labor).

Ventura went on to gain the highest approval rating of any governor in Minnesota history, with some polls ranking his public approval as high as 73 percent in 1999.

In recent years, Ventura has served as a spokesperson for the online sports betting website BetUS.com

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published March 28, 2008 9:51 pm EST