# Gubernatorial political parties... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789 "2002-09-10T12:37:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thedexter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@thedexter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thedexter)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/1 "2002-09-10T12:37:49Z")
Has the US ever had a governor that wasn’t a main political party, ie. Demo/Rep/Whig/Fed/Jeffersonian Republican? I figure we’ve probably had an Independent or two, but what about Progressive or Green or etc.? ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/2 "2002-09-10T14:03:42Z")
Mainers can tell you about theirs, but I’ll mention Wally Hickel, governor of Alaska from 1990-94 under the [Alaska Independence Party](http://www.akip.org/contact.html). No, it’s not exactly a secessionist movement, and he came to the campaign as a last-minute replacement. Hickel was a Republican governor in the '60s previously, though he left office to become Nixon’s Interior Secretary. He basically ran with the AIP as a flag of convenience. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/3 "2002-09-10T14:05:22Z")
What’s Jesse Ventura’s party called? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/4 "2002-09-10T14:11:00Z")
Have we already forgotten Jesse Ventura? Brian (IMHO was a passable gov when he wasn’t doing extracurricular activities) ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/5 "2002-09-10T14:53:32Z")
So the answer the the OP is, _Yes_. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/6 "2002-09-10T17:46:43Z")
Progressives, yes, especially during the Progressive era and especially in states west of the Mississippi. Greens, not in our lifetime, I think. ---
**Author:** ![ElJeffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ElJeffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElJeffe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/7 "2002-09-10T17:48:54Z")
I thought Jesse Ventura was just “Independent”? Jeff ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/8 "2002-09-10T18:17:32Z")
“Fighting Bob” LaFollete, elected in Wisconsin on the Progressive Party ticket. I forget the year, but somewhere around 1920. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/9 "2002-09-10T20:33:58Z")
Jesse V. went from the “Reform Party” to Independent to his own, new party the “Independence (or Independent) Party”. He’s not running for re-election, but there is someone running under JV’s party’s ticket. Maybe a Minnesotan and/or someone feeling Googlicious will check in… In any event, as already stated by many, the simple answer to the OP is “yes”. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gubernatorial-political-parties/127789/10 "2002-09-11T01:52:02Z")
**Pantellerite** - Tim Penny. I don’t think he’s going to pull a Jesse, though.