Ventura To Reveal Plans Tonight

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura of Minnesota will announce tonight on "Larry King Is Alive" (8:00 Central time, CNN) whether he will run for the U. S. Senate this year. Tomorrow's filing deadline is also Ventura's 57th birthday.

Already campaigning are Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken (aka Stuart Smalley), the presumptive Democratic nominee. In the 1998 governor's election, Coleman finished second to Ventura, while the Democratic nominee, Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III, ended up in third place. Ventura, the Reform Party nominee, was helped by the fact that Minnesota has same-day voter registration, and a large number of young voters turned out for him.

Newsweek published this interview with Ventura on the Senate race.

If he takes the plunge, Ventura is expected to seek the Independence Party's nomination in the September primary.