Here's what Jesse had to say: "This is an agonizing decision...felt like '98...my personal life...my family...my children were attacked by Minnesota media...do I want to put my family on the firing line again...maybe I'm not religious enough...God has never spoken to me...maybe at 5:00 God will send me to file...I came close...my daughter feared....won't put my family through that again...I don't see how Al Franken can win."
Jesse wanted to delay but Larry King pushed him along. Ventura ripped the local media again, essentially blaming the local press for a reason not to run. Jesse looked the same (clean shaven and died long hair) when we sat down back in May for an interview (despite erroneous reports that he won't talk to any Minnesota political reporters). He cited a poll done by Ch.5 in Minneapolis so there was a slightly positive reference to local media.
The most ironic part of the broadcast had to be an Al Franken commerical in one of the breaks between Jesse's segment. He had to keep the door open a tiny bit, by saying maybe God would talk to him like President Bush.