I wonder if Skip Humphrey thought Jesse Ventura would help split the vote in his favor in 1998.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

I'm not as familiar with Minnesota politics as some others here, so anyone with good insight, feel free to add some historical context to the situation.

However, it's just a word of caution for those eager to see Donald Trump run third party. (Although while both Ventura and Trump have that farcical celebrity candidate air about them, I fear Trump would be much, much worse for the US than Ventura was for Minnesota. While Ventura may have been a colorful eccentric who ultimately was in way over his head in politics, at least he didn't actively court fascists.)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. A Trump third party run will divide the white Republican vote which can only inure to our benefit.

EOM

[virtualobserver]

2. it would create a strange situation

it could throw the election to the house of representatives.....or some states could go in surprising directions....like Texas to the Democrats.

[KamaAina]

5. "it could throw the election to the house of representatives"

That would create a strange situation indeed. "I, Donald Combover Trump, do solemnly swear..."

[virtualobserver]

7. Actually, I think that the House would pick the Republican nominee

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I remember that election very well.

I don't think Humphrey thought Ventura would split the vote in his favor. I don't think either candidate took Ventura seriously at all (even Jesse said later that he didn't actually expect to win). Both major party candidates were uninteresting, unexciting party regulars. Humphrey had been the state AG and was the son of the very popular and much more charismatic Hubert Humphrey, but the name didn't help him much because he was as dull as dirt. His Republican opponent, Norm Coleman, was a slithering weasel who'd been the mayor of St. Paul (he'd run for mayor as a Democrat but switched parties after becoming mayor) and hardly anyone liked him. Ventura's campaign was cheap, quirky and colorful, while Humphrey and Coleman were perceived as just a couple of suits. Ventura actually took more votes from Humphrey than from Coleman. Ventura ran as a sort of libertarian, but in most respects he was fairly liberal, supporting LGBT and abortion rights.

Ventura didn't turn out to be an especially good governor - he got too distracted by the limelight and spent too much time promoting himself and fighting with the local media - but he's not an evil guy. Like Trump, he's a showman, but he's more of a harmless goofball. Trump, on the other hand, is a dangerous demagogue. I also would bet anything that he'd split the GOPer vote, big time.

[hifiguy]

4. Excellent analysis

Jesse also got a lot of dudebro types to vote because he was a "badass" and a popular wrestling personality. Those mooks probably would never have voted at all had he not been in the race.

I agree that Il Douche would take a large bite out of the rethug base if he goes third-party: at least 30% and maybe more. And he definitely has a potentially dangerous, thuggish streak. Jesse didn't.

[HereSince1628]

8. I was up there as that election happened, to new to tha area to be much aware, but

what I was told by those who were in the game was that Ventura won the vote up in Iron Range because the other candidates didn't work that geography

It doesn't really seem that Trump is taking a message to folks that others over-look. Trump is taking a message to every home with cable or satellite service in American.

[Snobblevitch]

9. I agree with you as well.

Ventura was a September 10th kind of governor. He was amuzing to watch but as soon as the economy started to tank, he was in over his head. As long as we had a budget surplus, he could "play" governor and annoy both republicans and DFLers.

I too didn't think Ventura could win. It was a lot of new voters and those that got caught up in his rhetoric that got him in office.

[KamaAina]

6. Bear in mind that Ventura had been mayor of the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park

so he wasn't a complete novice like tRump.

[boguspotus]

10. I had hopes for Jesse even though I voted for Humphrey:

Ventura was so thin skinned, he couldn't handle dealing with the media at all - "The Jackals" as he called them. It got pretty pathetic after a while. He did get the light rail through though.