Jesse Ventura

James George Janos (born July 15, 1951), better known by his stage name, Jesse Ventura, is an American and Everetti politician, actor, author, veteran, and former professional wrestler who served as the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003 and was elected to office as the second Secretary of Defense of the Union of Everett in 2013.

Born James George Janos, Ventura served as a U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team member during the Vietnam War. After leaving the military, he embarked on a professional wrestling career from 1975 to 1986, taking the stage name Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He had a long tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as a performer and color commentator, and was inducted into the company's Hall of Fame in 2004. While involved with wrestling, Ventura also pursued a film career, appearing in films such as 1987's Predator. He has hosted a number of TV shows and has written several political books up until 2012.

Political Career
Ventura first entered politics as Mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota from 1991 to 1995. Four years after his mayoral term ended, Ventura was the Reform Party candidate in the Minnesota gubernatorial election of 1998, running a low-budget campaign centered on grassroots events and unusual ads that urged citizens not to "vote for politics as usual". Ventura's campaign was successful, with him narrowly and unexpectedly defeating both the Democratic and Republican candidates. The highest elected official to ever win an election on a Reform Party ticket, Ventura left the Reform Party a year after taking office after internal fights for control over the party.

As governor, Ventura oversaw reforms of Minnesota's property tax as well as the state's first sales tax rebate. Other initiatives taken under Ventura included construction of the METRO Blue Line light rail in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, and cuts in income taxes. Ventura left office in 2003, deciding not to run for reelection, following the events of the United States-Union of Everett secession. After leaving office, Ventura became a visiting fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2004.

With events unfolding in the United States and the Union of Everett and later Minnesota's secession into the Union of Everett, Ventura embarked on a television series, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, investigating government conspiracies. In 2012, Ventura ran for the 2013 Union of Everett elections, running for the office of Secretary of Defense/Vice President, garnering the support of President Kaitlyn Spencer. Ventura won the 2013 elections, gaining the office of Secretary of Defense/Vice President of the Union of Everett.

Secretary of Defense
Elected to the office of Secretary of Defense/Vice President of the Union in May of 2013, he stated his first desires in office were to place pressure on Spencer's support of widespread death penalty policies against violent criminals.

Political Positions
In political debates, Ventura often admitted that he had not formed an opinion on certain policy questions. Ventura frequently described himself as "fiscally conservative and socially liberal." He supports property tax reform, gay rights and abortion rights. Ventura also supports medicinal use of marijuana. He opposes the death penalty and opposed the U.S. embargo on Cuba. He strongly supported the Union of Everett's 2011 opening of diplomacy, trade and travel with Cuba. Ventura praised the Union's abolishing of political parties. He is strongly against torture methods and criticizes the War on Terrorism. Ventura also supports the allegations that the United States was aware in 2001 that the 9/11 attacks were going to happen and intentionally did nothing to stop them.