<P> Paul Wellstone (July 21, 1944--October 25, 2002) was a two - term U.S. Senator from Minnesota . He was a member of the Democratic--Farmer--Labor Party and was a professor of political science at Carleton College before being elected to the Senate in 1990 . Wellstone was in a line of left - of - center or progressive Senators of the DFL . The first three, Hubert H. Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, and Walter F. Mondale, were all prominent in the national Democratic Party and Wellstone became a leading spokesman for the progressive wing in his time . He served in the Senate from 1991 until his death in a plane crash on October 25, 2002 . His wife, Sheila, and daughter, Marcia, also died in the crash . They had two other grown children, David and Mark, who now co-chair the Wellstone Action nonprofit group . </P> <P> Jesse Ventura (born July 15, 1951, as James George Janos), also known as "The Body", "The Mind", and "Governor Body", is an American politician, Navy SEAL member, professional wrestler, actor, and radio talk show host . In the Minnesota gubernatorial election of 1998 he was elected the 38th Governor of Minnesota and served from January 4, 1999 to January 6, 2003 without seeking a second term . Ventura ran as a candidate for the Reform Party of Minnesota (but joined the Independence Party of Minnesota when it broke from its association with the Reform Party of the United States of America) and narrowly, but unexpectedly beat the major - party candidates: Saint Paul mayor Norm Coleman (Republican) and Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III (Democratic--Farmer--Labor). Ventura went on to gain the highest approval rating of any governor in Minnesota history, with some polls ranking his public approval as high as the 73% in 1999, despite controversial statements of his . His campaign consisted of a combination of aggressive grassroots events and original television spots, designed by quirky advertising man Bill Hillsman, using the phrase "Don't vote for politics as usual ." He spent considerably less than his opponents (about $600,000), and is widely regarded as one of the first candidates to effectively use the Internet as a medium of reaching out to voters in a political campaign . </P> <Table> Presidential elections results <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Republican </Th> <Th> Democratic </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2016 </Td> <Td> 44.92% 1,322,951 </Td> <Td> 46.44% 1,367,716 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2012 </Td> <Td> 46.1% 1,321,575 </Td> <Td> 52.8% 1,547,688 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> 44.77% 1,275,400 </Td> <Td> 55.22% 1,573,323 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 47.59% 1,346,695 </Td> <Td> 51.13% 1,445,014 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2000 </Td> <Td> 45.50% 1,109,659 </Td> <Td> 47.91% 1,168,266 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 35.64% 766,476 </Td> <Td> 51.11% 1,120,438 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 31.90% 747,841 </Td> <Td> 43.50% 1,020,997 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 46.01% 962,337 </Td> <Td> 53.01% 1,109,471 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1984 </Td> <Td> 49.44% 1,032,602 </Td> <Td> 49.78% 1,036,364 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1980 </Td> <Td> 42.60% 872,268 </Td> <Td> 46.50% 945,173 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Republican </Th> <Th> Democratic </Th> </Tr>

Has minnesota ever voted for a republican president