Ventura hints at Senate run

The “Body” could well be back.

After declining to run for a second term as Minnesota’s governor in 2002, citing media intrusion into his family’s life, former pro wrestling star and author Jesse Ventura may be poised to become a political pile driver on what some are predicting to be one of the nation’s most exciting and costly races for the U.S. Senate.

A week before the filing deadline, Minnesota tongues are wagging at the thought of the insouciant tough talker throwing his hat into the political ring once again, shaking up an election that already generates national buzz. With a former “Saturday Night Live” star and a vulnerable Republican incumbent, the already hot two-man race could become a live-wire triumvirate with the addition of an unpredictable upstart who spends quality time surfing in Mexico.

“The eyes of the country may soon tune into what could be the biggest Las Vegas-style race we’ve seen in decades,” said Lawrence Jacobs, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. “If Jesse Ventura jumps into this race - and my hunch is that he will - this could be perhaps the most unpredictable and exciting match that we’ve seen. It’s shaping up as extraordinary.”

Mr. Ventura, who has been on a book tour to promote his latest effort, “Don’t Start the Revolution Without Me,” has been coy about making an announcement in advance of the filing deadline. On Wednesday, he shot down reports by National Public Radio that he will challenge Sen. Norm Coleman because of the Republican’s support for the Iraq war.

“I gave [NPR] the reasons why I would run,” Mr. Ventura said. “But I said ultimately it will come down to whether I want to change my lifestyle and go to that lifestyle or not.”

When he ran for governor in 1998, he waited until the last day to file his campaign papers. This year’s filing deadline is July 15 - his 57th birthday.

The suspense Mr. Ventura is creating is a politically savvy move that draws attention away from his prospective opponents, Mr. Jacobs said, and the drama is vintage Ventura.

“Jesse Ventura would recast the election if he decides to enter. By any conventional set of measures and history, it’s hard to take this guy seriously, but Ventura is a one-of-a kind candidate who doesn’t play by the rules. His political firepower is unique.”

The Minnesota race for the U.S. Senate has generated $27 million in fundraising, the highest level in the nation. If he runs, Mr. Ventura will face Mr. Coleman, the incumbent who leads in the polls, and former SNL comic Al Franken, a Democrat and Minnesota native who returned from his long show business career in New York and has been active in Democratic Party politics.

Mr. Ventura beat Mr. Coleman and Democratic challenger Hubert Humphrey III in his 1998 bid for governor, surprising many who wondered whether his grass-roots campaign had the power to oust veteran politicians.

Mr. Coleman’s camp reacted quietly to speculation about Mr. Ventura. “We really don’t have anything to say about the possibility of Jesse getting into the race,” said Tom Erickson, campaign spokesman.

Mr. Franken could not be reached for comment.

During his early tenure as Minnesota’s governor, Mr. Ventura held approval ratings near 70 percent, but he later ran afoul of the media and the Legislature.

Since leaving the governorship after one term, Mr. Ventura has stayed out of the political spotlight.

Still, polls show him shaving support from both Mr. Franken and Mr. Coleman.

A Survey USA poll conducted in mid-June showed that Mr. Coleman, a former St. Paul mayor originally from New York, would win a three-way matchup, garnering 41 percent to Mr. Franken’s 31 percent and Mr. Ventura’s 23 percent.

In other polls, Mr. Ventura is drawing about a fifth of Democratic voters and a fifth of Republicans and doing reasonably well with independents, even without declaring his candidacy.

“If he doesn’t win, he’ll have a significant impact on the race if he were to run,” Mr. Jacobs said. “He will drain support from Al Franken, taking away that anti-incumbent vote that Franken needs. It’s all but impossible for Franken to win if Ventura jumps in.”

Ben Goldfarb, a political strategist who managed the campaign of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, characterized the reaction as “so what?” He said the contest remains between two men and is competitive enough to go down to the wire. Minnesotans, he said, are more focused on the dire needs facing their state.

“I think at the end of the day, Minnesotans are very thoughtful and very deliberate in how they make decisions and who they want to support with the state of our country and the world,” he said. “I feel pretty strongly that people are looking for someone who is offering real solutions to big foreign and domestic issues.”

Mr. Ventura’s tenure as governor also makes him vulnerable, said Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report in Washington. She called Mr. Ventura’s record in office “very mixed,” and cited a March 2002 Minneapolis Star-Tribune poll that showed 31 percent of voters thought Mr. Ventura deserved to be re-elected, while 62 percent said someone new should get a chance.

“I somehow wonder if his consideration and talk of running had anything to do with or was a coincidence that started about the time he released a new book,” she said. “Sure, it will probably impact a close race if he runs, but I don’t think he has a shot at winning it to the extent of his pretty high disapproval rates when he left office. He didn’t have a very good relationship with the Legislature.”

Although skeptics of Mr. Ventura’s political power call him a long shot, his political savvy should not be underestimated, Mr. Jacobs said. When he ran for governor, Mr. Ventura would leave the candidate debates and take his bus on a tour of local bars, garnering more media attention and casting himself as a man of the people with his unconventional campaign style.

“One key is that his career in professional wrestling required business savvy and how to build consumer interest,” he said. “He has real smarts for that sort of building a crowd.”

While Mr. Franken has received support in Hollywood and has been successful in raising money and garnering support from Democrats across the state, funding may not be as crucial for Mr. Ventura, who already has a base of support in Minnesota and ongoing admiration from independent-minded voters across the nation.

“His name recognition is already established,” Mr. Jacobs said. “He’s got this uncanny ability to convert voters and generate quite a bit of media coverage. He’s a brilliant master of ceremonies in grabbing the audience’s attention.”