Ventura to announce if he's running for Senate on Larry King
Posted: 08:46 AM ET
From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser
Ventura may run for Senate.
(CNN) — Will he or won’t he?
Former Minnesota Governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is expected to announce Monday night on CNN’s Larry King Live whether he’ll run for his state’s U.S. Senate seat. Ventura’s deadline to file to run for the senate is Tuesday.
If Ventura jumps into the race and runs as an Independent, the battle for Republican incumbent Norm Coleman’s seat would become a three ring circus. Democrat Al Franken, a former comedian and liberal talk show host, has already filed.
Coleman was first elected in 2002 and is running for his second term. The Democrats are targeting Coleman and hope to win back the seat that was once held by Democrat Paul Wellstone, who was killed in a plane crash while running for re-election in 2002.
Ventura ran for governor of Minnesota as an Independent in 1998, winning a three way race. Coleman was the Republican candidate in that race, losing to Ventura by about 50,000 votes. After what many people in Minnesota describe as a difficult four years in office, Ventura decided not to run for re-election.
He has hinted lately that he might jump into the Senate race. If he does enter the campaign, the question is whether he can win, and if not, which other candidate does he harm more?
Other candidates over the years have made Larry King Live their program of choice when announcing a major run for office. Larry King Live runs at 9 p.m. ET.
Filed under: Jesse Ventura
