Jesse Ventura says Bernie Sanders politely but firmly declined his endorsement

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 1 March 2016

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is no longer feeling the Bern, after the Democratic presidential candidate declined his offer for endorsement.

Ventura told KSTP's Tom Hauser on Monday that he had a "nice meeting" with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) after a rally in Minneapolis, but also said Sanders "kind of blew me off" and rejected his endorsement. Ventura previously announced that he was split between throwing his support behind Sanders or Donald Trump, saying he liked their stances on money in politics (he admitted to disagreeing with Trump's foreign policy and immigration ideas, KSTP reports).

Now, Ventura says he's not going to endorse anyone, except possibly himself — the former wrestler is contemplating running as a Libertarian.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.