In the vibrant political landscape of the 1980s, the Rev. Jesse Jackson inspired the nation with his energized bids for the presidency. The rallying cry “Run, Jesse, Run” became synonymous with his campaigns, igniting hope among his supporters.
Fast forward to today, and that iconic phrase may be making a comeback, but this time it’s resonating with a different Jesse.
Enter Jesse Ventura.
Yes, the man known as “The Body.”
Jesse Ventura, who transitioned from Navy SEAL to professional wrestler, actor, and eventually the governor of Minnesota, is contemplating a return to the political arena. This decision comes in the aftermath of a tragic incident involving a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis.
Ventura, who served as Minnesota’s governor under the Reform Party from 1999 to 2003, expressed his outrage over the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. Good’s death, occurring while she was in her SUV, has intensified the outcry among immigration advocates already critical of federal policies and the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in enforcing them.
“What occurred yesterday did not have to happen,” Ventura, 74, told reporters, calling Good’s death a “tragedy” and a “murder.”
“We’re a Third World country now. You know how I know we’re a Third World country? Because in Third World countries they have the military doing their police work in the cities.”
Video of the deadly clash between Good, a 37-year-old mother, and ICE agent Jonathan Ross shows the law enforcement officer fire his weapon through the windshield of her Honda SUV as the driver tries to pull away.
Good’s vehicle had been blocking a roadway in a residential neighborhood as Ross and other agents approached.
The driver was struck in the head, police said, causing her to come crashing to a stop. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to city officials.
Trump administration officials quickly said the shooting was justified, and that Ross was acting in self-defense.
They just as quickly labeled Good a “domestic terrorist,” stopping just short of saying she got what she deserved.
“The reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis,” President Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform.
“They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE”.
Ventura, who spent a lot of time selling drama in the ring, said he isn’t buying it. He said the current state of affairs has him thinking about making a comeback, and he wasn’t talking about wrestling.
“You know what? Maybe it’s time for Jesse,” Ventura said. “I only did one term. I’m owed a second.”
It turns out there’s an opening. Current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who ran for vice president in 2024, said he’s not running for reelection amid a sweeping state fraud scandal.
The ICE shooting prompted Walz to put Minnesota’s National Guard on alert, even as federal authorities tried to box local law enforcement out of the investigation.
“They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) have disputed the Trump administration defense, which Frey decried as “bulls—” before telling ICE to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.”
The always combative Ventura, nicknamed “Jesse the Body” during his wrestling days, said he agrees.
“Good for them,” he said. “I was in the Philippines the day Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law and went under dictatorship. We went from nobody to a guy with a machine gun on every corner. That’s what happens in a dictatorship. In comes the military. That’s what’s happening here, and people better wake up to it.”
Run, Jesse, run.
