As Sanders stumped at a rally in Minnesota today, Ventura waited patiently backstage for an audience with the candidate:
Former wrestler and governor Jesse Ventura waits backstage to talk to Sanders, who he wants to win so he needn't run pic.twitter.com/b020hUDCq8
— Dan Roberts (@RobertsDan) February 29, 2016
According to the Guardian, Ventura—known as “The Body” when he was a professional WWE wrestler and “Governor Ventura” when he was governor of Minnesota between 1999 and 2003—seemed confident in his ability to step in to the race if need be. “I also support Bernie because if Bernie goes down that means I may have to get in,” he said. “The libertarians have offered to me that if I go to their convention, I could well get their endorsement. I want this revolution to continue.” Then again, he’s also said he would run as vice president on a Donald Trump ticket.
It could be argued that Ventura is something of a proto-Trump. He was elected governor of Minnesota as a celebrity political outsider and member of the Reform Party. The two share striking similarities. In September, a University of Minnesota politics professor opined, “This is Jesse Ventura time.” Please, let it not be so.