Jesse Ventura: The cure for a dull election?
Jesse Ventura hints at a Senate run.
“If you’re a fan of pure political theater,” said Jeff Fecke in Blog of the Moderate Left, “it does not get any better than this.” Former Minnesota governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura is suggesting he will enter the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and his Democratic challenger, comedian Al Franken. Franken is trailing badly right now, and Ventura beat Coleman in the 1998 gubernatorial race. But, “can lightning strike twice?”
Ventura made Minnesota “a national laughingstock as governor,” said Ed Morrissey in the blog Hot Air. The ex-wrestler’s “one single accomplishment” as governor was bipartisanship: “By the end of his term, Republicans and Democrats both hated him.” This sounds like a Ventura publicity stunt, but if he does run, he’ll siphon off the crucial youth vote from Franken.
True, a Ventura run could “end up being the nail in Franken’s political coffin,” said Reid Wilson in RealClearPolitics’ Politics Nation blog. But Ventura is entering the fray because he opposes Coleman’s support of the Iraq war. If his “vitriol could be directed solely at Coleman,” Franken “may find new life as the one candidate not wholly despised by the electorate.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Whomever he helps or hurts, “it’s going to be fun” to follow this smackdown, said James Oliphant in the Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp blog. And that’s great news for political enthusiasts—“ever since Hillary Clinton dropped out of the presidential race, politics have been, well, a little dull.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published