Mavericks Meet In Minnesota

Meeting face to face for the first time on Monday, Jesse Ventura pressed John McCain to resume his presidential campaign, but as an independent.

But the Arizona senator was steadfast in his loyalty to the Republican Party.

McCain said that no one - not even Ventura - could entice him to make such a move.

"I will not leave the Republican Party," McCain said during a news conference at the Mall of America before meeting the Minnesota governor. "The Republican Party is my home."

Ventura, who has said he's unlikely to endorse Al Gore or George W. Bush, has said McCain could win as an independent. He repeated that sentiment Monday during the meeting of the mavericks in his Capitol office.

"I told him I felt quite strongly he would have a chance to win" as a third-party candidate, Ventura said afterward. The two had talked several times by phone but had not met until Monday.

"He had a very successful campaign," the governor said. "He was only defeated in the Republican party. As I told the senator, if he continues on, he might not be defeated in the general election."

Earlier, at the shopping mall, where he signed copies of his best-selling memoir, Faith of My Fathers, McCain said leaving the GOP was not an option for him.

In the meeting, the two also discussed their Navy histories, wrestling, campaign finance reform and getting young and disenfranchised voters to the polls. McCain also praised Ventura for using new tools like the Internet to entice people to vote.

"I was a mediocre high school and college wrestler," McCain said. "And I used to wear a feather boa around the Senate sometimes."

He and Ventura also have pushed for changes in the campaign finance system, and McCain said he has "every intention" of working with the governor on reform issues.

McCain also said he emulated a few of Ventura's campaign tactics such as using the Internet to communicate with voters and talking straight about issues.

Before the meeting, Ventura had questioned why McCain would only "suspend" his campaign if he really was done for the year.

"What's going to happen there? I don't know," Ventura said Friday during his weekly radio show. "It ought to be pretty interesting. Maybe we'll get some insight into whether he's truly out of this race because we know he has only suspended his campaign, and that always gives you a little bit of suspicion there."

McCain said he decided to suspend rather than end the campaign so that supporters - who back campaign finance reform - could still serve as delegates at the national GOP convention.

He quickly added, "I do not have any intention of causing problems at the convention."

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