Will Jesse Ventura Be In Bernie Sanders’ Corner in 2016?

Jesse “The Body” Ventura, a former professional wrestler and Minnesota governor, says he is willing to help independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in his bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. While not quite an endorsement, Ventura says he is “tired of the handpicked two candidates.”

“Hats off to Bernie Sanders. I’ll help him anyway I can, although I’m not quite as socialistic. Bernie believes in power to the people and the people controlling the government, and I believe in that also. So I hope Bernie’s successful and I wish him well the whole way. It will be interesting to watch it all happen,” Ventura says.

Check out his full comments on Off The Grid.

As The Washington Post reported on Sunday, Ventura is known for rejecting the “conventional political picks.” He won a third-party bid in 1998 and endorsed Ron Paul in 2012 because of Paul’s anti-war views and stance on the Federal Reserve.

Paul and Sanders do not exactly share the same political philosophy. However, Bernie Sanders is routinely characterized as the “Ron Paul of 2016,” because both candidates have something to offer the public that other candidates running for the parties’ nominations don’t or didn’t: authenticity.

Ventura’s support reflects the appeal Bernie Sanders has to many Americans. He may not agree with Sanders on a philosophical level, but he appreciates someone who is willing to “[throw] a fly into the ointment.”

This is the reason why candidates like Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders outraise their competitors among small donors. This is why Bernie Sanders draws in thousands upon thousands of people at campaign rallies and events — people respond to authenticity. They respond to candidates who are willing to look beyond the interests of the major political parties.

Voters may not agree with everything these candidates have to say, but they appreciate someone who is going to give it to them straight and not patronize them with hollow talking points and broad ideals that are meant to excite or enrage particular blocs of the electorate without offering any substance behind their words.