Former WWE star Jesse Ventura ignited rumors Wednesday that he is seeking the Green Party presidential nomination this November following a late night Twitter rant condemning the two-party system.
That doesn’t mean I won’t be voting. If you want to know my “down ballot” it’s the Green Party. I’m voting Green all the way and if you’re looking to me for guidance, then do some research. Look into who is running GREEN in your state and VOTE THEM IN.
— Jesse Ventura (@GovJVentura) April 23, 2020
“We have the RIGHT to vote for the BEST candidate and that person DOESN’T have to be a DemoCRIPT of ReBLOODlican. These gangs have got to go. They don’t deserve your vote,” Ventura roared online.
The next day, Ventura rejected the rumors as reporters chasing “clickbait” articles.
Earn your paycheck. Verify something. Anything. Let’s start with: No, I haven’t filed to run for office. Do some fact checking before you state that I’m taking someone on. It’s called ENDORSING a political party. READ the tweets. They’re self explanatory. VOTE GREEN.
— Jesse Ventura (@GovJVentura) April 23, 2020
If Ventura did run, he might be up against another prominent contender this fall running on the Democratic ticket. Imaginary Georgia Gov. Stacey Abrams is taking precious time away from running her state to lobby her way into becoming Joe Biden’s running mate, and the former vice president is reportedly giving her serious consideration.
Here are five reasons why Ventura is more qualified than Abrams to take over power in the White House:
Jesse Ventura Has Actually Run A State
Unlike Abrams, who, since her narrow loss in 2018 to Republican Brian Kemp has claimed to be Georgia’s rightful governor, Ventura actually has executive experience operating a large government bureaucracy.
Ventura served as governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003 where he reformed the state’s property tax system.
Abrams on the other hand, is a romance novelist and former state legislator who has never held executive office let alone a statewide position. Instead, since losing the Georgia governor’s race a year and a half ago, Abrams has gone on a national media tour to deride election as “tainted” and “an erosion of our democracy.”
Ventura Also Governed A City
Prior to his election as governor, Ventura served as mayor of the eastern Minnesota city Brooklyn Park from 1991 to 1995.
To her credit, Abrams does have local experience. In 2002, Abrams was appointed to serve as the deputy city attorney for Atlanta.
Those two positions however, are hardly the same.
Ventura Served In The Military
Ventura spent more than five years serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. While he never saw combat, Ventura was on an Underwater Demolition Team and earned the Vietnam Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
In contrast, Abrams served in the military just as long as she has served as governor of Georgia.
Whether simply having military experience proves one’s foreign policy credentials for conducting world affairs in the Oval Office is surely debatable, but Ventura’s overseas involvement likely shows a broader understanding of international politics than Abrams’ apparent “25 years in independent study” in the field that she told Elle Magazine last week.
Ventura Writes Book About Government. Abrams Writes Romance Novels.
To be clear, Ventura and Abrams are both accomplished writers. One of Abrams’ several romance novels authored under the pen name “Selena Montgomery” is even being turned into a CBS drama.
Ventura’s works however, as conspiratorial as some may be, have centered on government functions, inserting himself into the public debate on issues such as marijuana and corruption.
Ten books written on American politics likely prepped Ventura for the Oval Office better than several works on “50 Shades of An Imaginary Administration.”
Ventura Taught Government At Harvard
After leaving the Minnesota governor’s office in 2003 deciding not to run for a second term, Ventura joined Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government as a visiting scholar.