Jesse Ventura speaking at a rally for Gary Johnson in September 2012.
On May 31st and June 1st, several news sources reported on the possibility of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura running for in the 2016 presidential election as an independent candidate. While at a private reception for a retiring gubernatorial bodyguard at the state capitol building in Minneapolis, he said 2016 was an “opportune time” for an independent to run because of the lack of an incumbent in the race. According to the Associated Press, Ventura reached out to radio shock jock Howard Stern about running as his vice presidential candidate, and the latter purportedly expressed interest.
Ventura said:
The key to the next election I think will be a candidate who doesn’t belong to a political party and who has the ability to rise above the mainstream and get the press, which I’ve never had a problem doing.
He added:
If I were to decide — and I haven’t, and may not — I believe one issue would carry me to victory. I would give the people of America their first opportunity to elect a president who doesn’t belong to a political party since George Washington.
Ventura told reporters he would run on a staunchly antiwar platform and his first action would be to close the military prison in Guantanamo Bay and return the naval base to Cuba.
Jesse Ventura was a former Navy SEAL, actor, broadcaster and professional wrestler who rocked the political world when he was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998 with 37% of the vote in a close three-way race with Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Hubert Humphrey III. What made the election especially significant was that Ventura as the candidate of the newly minted Reform Party, founded in 1995 and used as a vehicle for billionaire Ross Perot’s presidential candidacy in 1996, in which he captured over 8 million votes, or 8.4%. To date, Ventura’s win is the largest electoral victory in the Reform Party’s history. In 2000, the Reform Party state affiliate in Minnesota disaffiliated with the national party to form the Independence Party of Minnesota, which Ventura remains a member of today. Ventura left the governorship in January 2003, opting not to seek a second term in the November 2002 elections.
Recently, Ventura has written several books (co-authored with Dick Russell) including American Conspiracies (2010), 63 Documents the Government Doesn’t Want You to Read (2011) and DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans: No More Gangs in Government (2013). He has, however, focused most of his energy on a highly-watched TV Show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, which premierd on TruTV in December 2009 and completed its third season in December 2012, airing a total of 22 episodes. In a drama style format, the show examines a different conspiracy theory in each episode, with topics including the 9/11 attacks, secret societies, the Bilderberg group, Area 51, the JFK assassination, David Icke’s “Reptillian” theory (that the world’s leaders and most influential people are actually shape shifting lizards from another planet), the Wall Street collapse and FEMA internment camps, among others. In January 201o, the show averaged 1.6 million views an episode, becoming the most popular show on the network. Ventura strongly supported Ron Paul in the 2008 and 2012 Republican presidential primaries and endorsed Libertarian Gary Johnson in the 2012 general presidential election.
Draft Jesse Ventura websites:
http://www.venturadebates.com/
Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/JesseVenturaPresident2016?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/VenturaDebates
“…Ventura reached out to radio shock jock Howard Stern about running as his vice presidential candidate…”
Why?
Why not? A matched pair of jokers…
I don’t think Mr. Ventura is likely to run unless there were already a major third party/independent campaign going on, so he would have a better chance of winning or making a major impact. It seems to me like Ventura would have better odds is here were not the only “major” third party candidate.
Jesse Ventura-Darryl Perry 2016!!!!
I predict he runs on the ballot lines of various parties around the country and gets less than 2%. Something like Nader 2004.
“Maybe Bob Dole should run. Bob Dole thinks Bob Dole should run. Actually, Bob Dole just likes to hear Bob Dole talk about Bob Dole. Bob Dole!”
We’ve heard this before. Not gonna happen.
At this point he just needs to get off the can.
I like Jesse Ventura, but he has been talking about running for President for years and has yet to actually do it. He needs to $&!+ or get off the can.
Ventura, Roseanne, Palin, Trump … these are good examples of the many self-serving hucksters who “run” for President in order to promote themselves: for fame, for profit, to promote their books, to rebuild their careers etc.
“…Ventura reached out to radio shock jock Howard Stern about running as his vice presidential candidate…”
Why?
@9
That would be awesome.
I would love to see Ventura run as a Libertarian. He has charisma and he is alot more entertaining than some of other candidates the LP has fielded.
I thought the reference to Stewart and Colbert made it pretty clear I was just funnin’. Since I read he would be an independent candidate I guess he could not be a nominee in any case.
NF, shoo in to win? Or to be a nominee? It sez he would run I, not L, as I read this story.
Damn, you beat me to it.
There was talk of him running in 2000, also.
He’d be a shoo in especially with Howard Stern as his running mate! What a great comedy team. Stewart and Colbert must be in hyper drive over this opportunity.
You may be right, but I’m leery about another Johnson campaign, so I’d rather see Ventura run. He may have had a unique opportunity in 2004 or 2008, but I believe his views are more popular today.
I just can’t see him actually doing it. He has been threatening to run since the early 2000s, be it for the presidency or US Senate. As much as I respect him, I don’t think Jesse would ever enter a race that he didn’t stand a strong chance of winning. Also, the whole conspiracy theory thing has really damaged his pubic image.
If only he had run in 2004….
I certainly hope he does.
Should I say it first? No, he won’t.