Ventura to speak at Ron Paul rally during RNC

Bill Salisbury
Twin Cities.com
Friday, Aug 1, 2008

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura will return to the Minnesota political stage Sept. 2, lending his big voice and strong opinions to an alternative rally for GOP Rep. Ron Paul during the Republican National Convention.

Rally for the Republic spokesman Jesse Benton predicted Ventura’s appearance would boost national interest in the two-day rally at the Target Center in Minneapolis for Paul, the Texas congressman and unsuccessful presidential candidate.

“He’s a great voice for freedom and limited government,” Benton said of Ventura. “He’s got a lot of charisma and a lot of credibility, and we’re very happy that he’s going to lend his voice to some of the other great freedom advocates that will be there with us that day.”

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In a YouTube video announcing Ventura’s appearance, Paul said the governor is a “big draw… He supports our views. He’s against this war. He’s for civil liberties.”

A spokeswoman for Ventura’s book publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, confirmed that Ventura had agreed to speak at the rally. “It’s something that he wanted to do,” she said, declining to elaborate.

The author, former professional wrestler and Brooklyn Park mayor could not be reached for comment.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

Paul himself asked rally organizers to invite Ventura, said Marianne Stebbins, the candidate’s Minnesota campaign coordinator. “He insisted on it,” she said.

That may come as a surprise since Ventura didn’t endorse Paul and doesn’t embrace all of his anti-tax and small-government views.

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