Ventura Leaves Reform Party

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Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, the Reform party's highest-ranking elected public official, today announced he was leaving the organization and urged his state's branch of the party to follow his lead.

At a news conference this afternoon, Ventura said the national Reform party was unworthy of the support of the American people and urged individual party members to "disaffiliate" from the national organization.

"Based on what I have seen in prior years and especially in recent months, I have come to believe that the national Reform party is hopelessly dysfunctional," Ventura told a news conference.

The former pro-wrestler and his supporters have been at odds with those supporters of the party's founder, Texas billionaire Ross Perot. Perot, whose 1992 presidential bid formed the basis of the Reform Party, played no part in Ventura's 1998 gubernatorial win and factions loyal to him have continuously clashed with Ventura supporters.

Ventura suggested the Minnesota Reform party could call itself the Independence party, a move he said would underscore the ideological differences between the state and national organizations.

Much of the party strife has centered on who should lead the Reform party presidential ticket. Ventura has publicly backed businessman Donald Trump and spoken out against Pat Buchanan, who left the Republican Party to seek the Reform nomination.

"Buchanan is an anti-abortion extremist and an unrealistic isolationist," Ventura said during the press conference. "In Minnesota, we cannot maintain our socially moderate identity while a right-winger heads our national ticket."

The Minnesota Reform party has scheduled a meeting Saturday to discuss breaking with the national organization.

"We need to focus on a new direction for the Minnesota party, and we've been too distracted with the national party politics," Minnesota party Chairman Rick McCluhan told the Associated Press.

National Reform party chairman Jack Gargan, a Ventura ally, told NBC the governor's departure could be temporary, and that he may return if factional divisions inside the party are healed.