Ventura 1998

[Samof94]

How was he able to beat both Skip Humphrey(Hubert's son) and Norm Coleman in the governor's race in Minnesota that year? He only served one term, but a third party candidate winning a statewide election is almost unheard of.

[Epaminondas]

The only way it's possible to break through in US culture: TV stardom.

[TML]

People were really dissatisfied with the existing political system at the time, so they turned to an outsider in Ventura. (This kind of sentiment was also a factor in Trump’s 2016 win.)

[Tekken_Guy]

Given that another state elected an '80s macho icon for governor just a few years later, I can see Ventura's appeal.

[Sir Mohamed]

Wasn't his election merely a result of a three-way race? He won with less than 40% of the vote. In a runoff, he might have lost.

[SuzerainOfSwat]

Before my time really, but from what little I remember from my cursory reading on this election is that there was a large portion of dissatisfied voters who were enticed by Ventura’s promises to cut taxes and to not run a traditional administration along with some of his other more libertarian ideas. This was also near the peak of the non-Perot reform party movement, a year later Gatewood Galbraith would get 15% of the vote in Kentucky. The late 90s certainly were an interesting time electorally.

[MIKESOWELL]

I'm 43 years old, so I do recall this election to some extent. One thing that I do remember is that prior to the election they found out that they were underestimating young voters interest in Ventura's campaign. I think Humphrey was expected to win in a close race with Ventura polling third.

[Open Source Intelligence]

People were really dissatisfied with the existing political system at the time, so they turned to an outsider in Ventura. (This kind of sentiment was also a factor in Trump’s 2016 win.)

One thing I remember reading at the time was that Minnesota had same-day electoral registration, and it was pretty clear from the people doing the registering that almost everyone doing that were coming to vote for Ventura.

[PSOL]

Minnesota is just built differently

[Progressive Pessimist]

Given that another state elected an '80s macho icon for governor just a few years later, I can see Ventura's appeal.

The movie 'Predator' gave the country two Governors.

That still blows my mind.