Politics

'The Body' Slams Minnesota Foes

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

November 4, 1998 / 1:35 AM EST / CBS

In Tuesday's most shocking upset, former professional wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura beat two veteran politicians to become the next governor of Minnesota. He was the first Reform Party candidate in the nation to win a statewide race.

CBS News Correspondent Bob McNamara Reports.

CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Thalia Assuras Reports.

Jesse Ventura Victory Speech.

"We're unbelievably thrilled," Ventura said. "We shocked the world. I think we proved the American Dream still exists."

"We wasted them with 'wasted' votes," Ventura said during a raucous victory speech.

Ventura ambushed his two major-party rivals, Democratic state Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III and Republican Norm Coleman.

"I'll tell you what, I'll bet you they're never going to take the people lightly again, are they?" Ventura said, as returns showed him leading.

Ventura's strength came primarily from younger voters and independents. He drew an estimated 45 percent of those under age 45, according to exit poll information, and he got 52 percent of the votes of independent voters.

He also drew about as many liberal voters as Humphrey. Exit poll shots Ventura got 44 percent of the liberal vote, compared to Humphrey's 45 percent.

Perhaps not surprisingly, 75 percent those who voted for Ross Perot in 1996 voted for Ventura.

Ventura's amusing ads and gruff straight talk brought a groundswell of support.

"Of course, I'm pleasantly surprised, but we always felt we could win," he told CBS This Morning Wednesday. "We weren't in the race to be a spoiler or as a publicity stunt. We were in with a message. We felt we had a great chance to win this."

Ventura credited his debate performance (which has unusual origins) with building critical support among voters.

"The moment we started debating, our numbers went shooting up," he said. "Maybe my years in pro wrestling doing those interviews helped to debate and be quick on my feet."

Both Humphrey nd Coleman promised tax cuts. Ventura released no detailed tax plan, but pledged to return any future budget surpluses to the voters. But he wouldn't promise tax cuts because he said he didn't want to make pledges he couldn't keep.

"We're the second-highest taxed state in the nation. I don't want that anymore," Ventura said.

Exit polling showed that Ventura took more support from Coleman than Humphrey. Of those who voted for Ventura, nearly four in 10 said they would have chosen Coleman had it been a two-way race between him and Humphrey. About three in 10 would have chosen Humphrey. The other 30 percent said they would not have voted.

Ventura was the candidate of choice for more voters who identified themselves as moderates and was as popular as Humphrey among liberals, according to exit polls. Ventura was the strongest candidate in the suburban Twin Cities, where he captured nearly half of the vote.

The last time a three-way contest was so close was in 1890, when William R. Merriam, a Republican, received 36.6 percent of the vote; Thomas Wilson, a Democrat, 35.6 percent; and Sidney M. Owen of the Alliance Party, 29.7 percent. Merriam's finish ranks as the lowest winning percentage in state history. Owen's is the highest third-place finish.

Early on, the contest between Humphrey and Coleman was expected to be the main attraction. Coleman, a 49-year-old former hippie college campus leader, was a former top Humphrey aide. He ran for mayor in 1993 when Humphrey supported him. In late 1996, Coleman switched parties.

Humphrey, 56, went into the race off the biggest win of his career. His lawsuit against tobacco industries brought the state $6.1 billion. He is the son of late Vice President Hubert Humphrey, the state's most famous politician.

Ventura's ads showed him to be the outsider. His final ad featured him posed as Rodin's "The Thinker." Another showed a Ventura action figure doll fighting off Evil Special Interest Man. His campaign theme song was a remake of the Theme From "Shaft."

A frequent battle point among the candidates was whether the state laws governing who can carry concealed handguns should be changed. Ventura and Coleman wanted to change the law to make it easier to obtain permits. Humphrey wanted to keep it the same.

Another difference was gay marriage. Coleman opposed it. Ventura and Humphrey supported some form of legal recognition of gay couples.

Humphrey and Ventura also supported abortion rights. Coleman opposed all abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

Ventura had a simple reason for his victory. "People were looking for some honesty," he told CBS. "I'm not afraid to tell people sometimes that I don't know the answer."