Buchanan has a tentative nod from the Reform Party's founder and father-figure, Perot, but the arch-conservative's isolationist politics clash with Ventura's libertarian leanings.

Ventura has his own candidates in mind, such as developer Donald Trump, and the showdown is making national news.

When Ventura's hand-picked candidate to be president of the Reform Party beat out Perot's incumbent earlier this summer, Ventura positioned himself to control both the party's national offices and, as its highest elected official, its national image.

Ventura is now charged with bringing the Reform Party from the sidelines of American politics to the mainstage--to make it a dominant fixture of a three-party system, instead of the occasional spoiler for one or the other parties.

Back home in Minnesota, however, Ventura still has practical problems to attend to. He has made reform of the state's education system a priority and wants to do so without spending more money. Like many politicians around the country, his approval ratings have profited from the strong economy.

It's easy to support a governor who can balance the budget and increase government services, all while cutting taxes. But such slights of hand may become more difficult if the economy does not continue its expansion, and voters may then give short shrift to Ventura's unique approach to politics.

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