They’ve experienced, covered and crafted politics—influencing campaigns, scrutinizing officeholders and challenging our perceptions of the political system.

Now, they’re coming to Harvard.

Professional wrestler and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has garnered the most media attention of this spring’s fellows at Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP), but he’s surrounded by a seasoned cadre of politicos who will provide insights into this year’s presidential election: an expert on youth and Hollywood perspectives on politics, a longtime Democratic strategist, the Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Sun-Times, a former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and an expert on political mobilization.

IOP Director Daniel R. Glickman introduced this spring’s new slate of resident political gurus at a press conference held yesterday at the Kennedy School of Government.

While Ventura headlines this semester’s cast of characters, Glickman believes that Ventura will complement rather than overshadow the group.

“None of the fellows are shrinking violets,” he said. “This is as diverse and interesting a group as we’ve ever had.”

The primary purposes of the fellows program are to have experienced operators interact with students and to allow the fellows the opportunity to engage in the intellectual life of the Harvard community. Resident fellows lead weekly not-for-credit study groups on topics related to their experiences and expertise.

“One of our top priorities when selecting fellows is identifying individuals who are not only on the cutting edge of their crafts, but will also be eager to work closely with students over the course of the semester,” IOP President Ilan T. Graff ’05 wrote in an e-mail message.

But though rosters of resident fellows have routinely boasted prominent political experts, the ability to offer “an insider’s look” at the presidential election was an important selection criterion in this highly-charged political year, according to Graff.

“More so than at any other time, young people on this campus and across the country are going to be focused on politics, and we hope to channel that energy into a renewed sense of the value of political engagement,” he said.

Lynn Sweet, the Sun-Times Bureau Chief, sees her fellowship as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to reflect on the role of her profession in the political process. Her study group will follow the 2004 presidential campaign from the media’s perspective, to help students “connect the dots” as the nominating process and election unfold.

Harvard’s selection of Ventura has attracted national media attention since it was announced last month. Though he did not specifically describe the content of his study group, he said he will focus on terrorism, the media and his experience challenging two-party politics.

In 1998, Ventura won the Minnesota gubernatorial race as a third-party candidate on the Reform party ticket.

He said he looked forward to his fellowship at Harvard.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” Ventura said. “If you asked a boy from southern Minnesota if he would one day attend Harvard, he’d laugh and say no.”