Ex-wrestler Body Slams Foes or A November to Remember for "The Body" or
Call Him Jesse “The Governor” Ventura
``We shocked the world,'' Ventura exclaimed at a victory celebration in
Shakopee, Minnesota.
Former pro wrestler and commentator Jesse "The Body" Ventura shocked not
only Minnesota, but the nation last Tuesday when he won the campaign to
become Minnesota's new Governor.
The former Navy Seal, earned 37 per cent of the vote, edging out Democrat
and sixteen year DFL Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III and Republican
St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman. The forty seven-year-old Ventura received 559,004
votes, while Coleman got 517,462 votes, and Humphrey III, finished last with
422,226 votes.
Throughout the campaign, Ventura trailed Humphrey, for a time as much as 20 points
in the polls.
While Humphrey and Coleman spent $2 million on their campaigns respectively,
Ventura shelled out only a sixth of that hefty sum.
The new governor proclaimed he wants to be known as Jesse “The Mind,” rather
than Jesse “The Body” from now on. ''I don't make my living with my body anymore.
I make it with my mind,'' he said.
The governor elect, a former mayor of Brooklyn Park in Minnesota, wrestled from 1975
to 1986. Jesse moved to the broadcast booth, after hanging up his wrestling boots, to provide
color analysis on WWF television. Ventura also did some commentating for NFL games, before
moving onto WCW for a brief stint.
On Thursday of last week, The WWF web site issued a press release on the election
victory. In short, it read, “The World Wrestling Federation is proud that one of its own,
Jesse "The Body" Ventura, has been elected governor of Minnesota.” It went on to say that
McMahon takes full credit for teaching Jesse the art of being a successful politician.
McMahon appeared on “The Today Show” on Thursday. Matt Lauer, co-host of "Today,"
asked the Federation owner what his first reaction to Ventura’s election was. "I thought it was
refreshing. This is Americana," McMahon said. "The voters said ‘to hell with the Republicans
and Democrats. Let’s show it really doesn’t matter who we elect to office.’"
Ventura, also a Vietnam veteran and former rock band bodyguard, played
Arkham Asylum on the big screen in last year's "Batman & Robin." He has
also appeared in "Major League II," "Demolition Man," "Man in Black,"
"Ricochet," "Predator," "Running Man," and "No Holds Barred."
Ventura was born in Minneapolis on July 15, 1951, and attended North Hennepin
Community College. He; Terry, his wife of 22 years; and their teen-aged son and daughter
live in Maple Grove.
On Sunday, Ventura attended the Minnesota-New Orleans football game at the Metro Dome.
The Vikings won 31-24.
Ventura campaigned on the slogan, "Serving The People, Not The Parties."
The official Jesse Ventura homepage is at http://www.jesseventura.org
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