With little more than a gift for gab, $400,000 in cash and a throw-the-bums-out populism, Ventura electrified Minnesota's electorate and ambushed two major party politicians to become the nation's first Reform Party governor.
Ventura's celebrity, tough-guy image and shoot-from-the-hip theatrics played a big role in his success. Nearly 63 percent of the voters in this state went to the polls, rivaling turnout in a presidential election year. But Ventura's surprising win was more than folkloric. It offered real lessons on campaign finance reform and demonstrated the possibilities that come with decoupling money from politics.
