The Ghost of 1998: Why Minnesota's 2026 Race Won't Yield Another Jesse Ventura - David Schutz

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The 1998 election was an unusual year with an unusual candidate. Minnesota had a multibillion-dollar surplus and a strong economy. Voters were in a good mood and willing to take a chance on an alternative. Jesse Ventura was what I call a “politainer” candidate, someone who combined politics and entertainment and understood how to use celebrity status politically—much like what Donald Trump understands.

Ventura had high name recognition and a large following. He ran against boring career politicians, Norm Coleman and Skip Humphrey, who both ran lackluster campaigns. Campaign finance laws at the time made it possible for a third-party candidate to run and for a third party to achieve major-party status on the ballot.

There was also a residual effect of Minnesota’s long tradition of nonpartisan politics. From the early twentieth century until the 1970s, only constitutional offices were partisan. The legislature, courts, and local offices were nonpartisan. That legacy of party detachment still lingered in the 1990s. Put all this together, and Ventura won, as one reporter friend told me at the time, because 37 percent of Minnesota voters gave the state the finger.

It was a statement against career politicians and politics as usual. But things have changed dramatically since then. One of the biggest turning points came just two years later with Florida in 2000 and the Bush versus Gore election. That contest accelerated the polarization of American politics.

It also featured Ralph Nader’s third-party candidacy. Many came to believe that Nader cost Al Gore the presidency. As a result, the spoiler effect took hold, creating fear that voting third party would elect the candidate one liked least. In Minnesota, the two major parties responded by making it much harder for third parties to gain major-party status and ballot access.

https://minneapolistimes.com/the-ghost-of-1998-why-minnesotas-2026-race-wont-yield-another-jesse-ventura/