Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, political commentator, actor, media personality, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor with the Reform Party and is the party's only candidate to win a major government office. Ventura was a member of the United States Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War. After leaving the military, he embarked on a professional wrestling career as a heel from 1975 to 1986, taking the ring name "Jesse 'the Body' Ventura." He had a lengthy tenure in the WWF/WWE as a performer and color commentator and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004. In addition to wrestling, Ventura pursued an acting career, appearing in films such as Predator and The Running Man. Ventura entered politics in 1991 when he was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a position he held until 1995. He was the Reform Party candidate in the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election, running a low-budget campaign centered on grassroots events and unusual advertising that urged citizens not to "vote for politics as usual". Initially ignored as a novelty candidate, Ventura defeated both the Democratic and the Republican nominee, a major upset. Amid internal fights for control over the party, Ventura left the Reform Party a year after taking office and served the remainder of his term as a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota. Since holding public office, Ventura has referred to himself as a "statesman" instead of a politician. As governor, Ventura oversaw reforms of Minnesota's property tax as well as the state's first sales tax rebate. Other initiatives he took included construction of the METRO Blue Line light rail in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and income tax cuts. Ventura did not run for reelection. After leaving office in 2003, he became a visiting fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has since hosted a number of political television shows on RT America and Ora TV, and written several books. Ventura has been a prominent figure in third-party politics, having repeatedly floated the idea of running for President of the United States as an independent candidate. In late April 2020, Ventura endorsed the Green Party in the 2020 presidential election and showed interest in running for its nomination. He officially joined the Green Party of Minnesota on May 2. On May 7, he confirmed he would not run. The Green Party of Alaska nominated Ventura, without his involvement, causing the national Green Party to disassociate itself from the Alaska party for abandoning the national party's nominee, Howie Hawkins. In the 2024 presidential election, Ventura endorsed the Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris for president and fellow Minnesota governor Tim Walz for vice president.

Infobox

Lieutenant

Mae Schunk

Preceded by

James Krautkremer

Succeeded by

Grace Arbogast

Born

James George Janos (1951-07-15) July 15, 1951 (age 74)Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

Political party

Independent (1969–1998,[citation needed] 2003–present)

Other politicalaffiliations

mw- Independence (2000–2003) Reform (1998–2000)

Spouse

mw- Theresa Larson Masters (m. 1975)

Children

Residence(s)

White Bear Lake, Minnesota, U.S.Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Education

North Hennepin Community College

Occupation

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Allegiance

United States

Branch/service

United States Navy

Years of service

1969–1975

Rank

Petty officer third class

Battles/wars

Vietnam War

Awards

National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal

Website

WWE.com profile

Ring name(s)

Jesse "The Body" VenturaSurf Ventura

Billed height

6 ft 2 in (188 cm)

Billed weight

245 lb (111 kg)

Billed from

San Diego, California Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Trained by

Eddie Sharkey

Debut

1974

Retired

1986

Party

Independent (1969–1998,[citation needed] 2003–present)

Tables

· Acting career › Filmography

1987

Predator

Role(s)

Blain Cooper

The Running Man

Role(s)

'Captain Freedom'

1989

Thunderground

Role(s)

The Man

No Holds Barred

Role(s)

Himself

1990

Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe

Role(s)

Abraxas

Repossessed

Role(s)

Himself

1991

Tagteam

Role(s)

Bobby Youngblood

Ricochet

Role(s)

Jake Chewalski

1993

Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun

Role(s)

DMV Testee

Demolition Man

Role(s)

CryoCon

1994

Major League II

Role(s)

Himself

1997

Batman & Robin

Role(s)

Arkham Asylum Guard

2000

Ready to Rumble

Role(s)

Himself

2001

Joe Somebody

Role(s)

Himself

2002

The Master of Disguise

Role(s)

Himself

2003

Stuck on You

Role(s)

Himself

2005

The Ringer

Role(s)

Motivational Speaker

2008

Borders

Role(s)

Conrad

2010

Woodshop

Role(s)

Mr. Madson

2014

The Drunk

Role(s)

Governor Littleton

Year	Title	Role
1987	Predator	Blain Cooper
1987	The Running Man	'Captain Freedom'
1989	Thunderground	The Man
1989	No Holds Barred	Himself
1990	Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe	Abraxas
1990	Repossessed	Himself
1991	Tagteam	Bobby Youngblood
1991	Ricochet	Jake Chewalski
1993	Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun	DMV Testee
1993	Demolition Man	CryoCon
1994	Major League II	Himself
1997	Batman & Robin	Arkham Asylum Guard
2000	Ready to Rumble	Himself
2001	Joe Somebody	Himself
2002	The Master of Disguise	Himself
2003	Stuck on You	Himself
2005	The Ringer	Motivational Speaker
2008	Borders	Conrad
2010	Woodshop	Mr. Madson
2014	The Drunk	Governor Littleton

· Electoral history

Name