From “Where Has the Jesse Voter Gone?” by Andrew Grossbach, Rusty Kath, Alicia Spencer, & Danielle Stuard
So we now ask if there in fact is a “Jesse Voter?” We argue no. Ventura appealed to a number of different demographic groups. Granted, though there was support from the youth, particularly males, Ventura could not have won the 1998 gubernatorial election with just their votes. Our evidence indicates that those who voted for Ventura in 1998 did not vote as a group in subsequent elections. Rather, their votes were dispersed among the electorate. Thus we conclude that there is not a true “Jesse Voter,” but rather a once existing Jesse fan club that spans across a number of different groups.
And is there no Trump voter, in the same way? Once we move past the Republican base, is this the best way to think about Trump’s electorate?
This is the last post plucking key passages from work about the Ventura election, as it informs work on the relationship between wrestling and voting in the US.