Jesse Ventura's 'Body' Politics

College students told Ventura they were voting for him because he was ""cool.'' It was the ultimate compliment. ""I am cool,'' he says. ""Mentally, I'm still 21 or 22 in a lot of ways.'' His one concession to slick campaigning: TV ads. They aired in the campaign's final weeks and tried to show just how cool he was. One, featuring music from ""Shaft,'' showed children playing with a Jesse Ventura action figure, who does battle with ""Evil Special Interest Man.'' The doll, which will soon be a household item in Minnesota, was patched together with the body of Batman and the head of World War II Gen. Omar Bradley. (Yes, Omar Bradley has a doll.) The campaign went to dozens of banks before it found one that would lend Ventura the money for the air time.

In the final tally, Ventura's election numbers were staggering--not just for the amount of votes he received but for who cast them. Ventura carried every age group under 60 and every income level under $100,000, according to exit polls. In Anoka County, a blue-collar community outside the Twin Cities, clerks were astounded to see twentysomethings lined up outside polling places, many voting for the first time. ""I voted for Jesse because he was the most honest,'' said 24-year-old Amanda Larson, who heard about him on a classic-rock station. ""If he doesn't know something, he says he doesn't know.'' The rebellious-youth vote was much in evidence at Ventura's victory party at a racetrack, where backers danced in a mosh pit and chanted ""Packers suck!'' for no apparent reason. Ventura told the crowd that a lot of people would now be eating crow. It seems some of his followers took him a little too literally; one of his radio rivals arrived at the studio to find a dead crow on ice.

The upset probably couldn't have happened in most states. For one thing, Minnesota is generous with matching funds for alternative parties. And it allows same-day registration, enabling thousands of students to show up and vote on a whim. Still, insiders found themselves in awe of what Ventura had done. Now they want to know: how will Jesse Ventura govern? Just about everyone agrees that he's decent and quick. ""He's got a lot of street smarts,'' says Jennifer Waters, who was once Ventura's on-air sidekick. ""But he's a lazy reader. He's just not disciplined.'' Business leaders are jittery but hopeful. ""He's captured people's imaginations,'' says Marilyn Nelson, CEO of the $820 billion Carlson Cos. ""If he can use the same skills to mobilize the people of Minnesota, how lucky can we get?''

Ventura isn't planning to lose his common touch. He wants to keep coaching football, and he may do a daily radio show entitled ""Lunch With the Governor.'' He and Terry won't leave their ranch for the governor's mansion, although they may use it for parties. ""I really want to make a good impression,'' Terry Ventura says. What impression Jesse Ventura's victory leaves on the rest of the nation remains to be seen. It's already inspired at least one other candidate: Hulk Hogan now says he'll run for president. ""If Jesse can do that, imagine what the Big Kahuna can do,'' Hogan huffs. Let's all get ready to rumble.

FROM PILE DRIVER TO POL: THE JESSE VENTURA FILES

It's been a strange journey for 47-year-old James Janos, now known as Governor Ventura. NEWSWEEK created a resume for him out of his disparate life experiences. A look at Minnesota's chief executive: