[Breaking News] Jesse Ventura Not Running For U.S. Senate

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has announced that he will be staying out of the race to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. Before making clear his intentions not to run, the media buzz he created demonstrated the kind of impact he would have had on the race.

"This was an agonizing decision for me," Ventura said. But he said his family fears they will be attacked in the media again if he runs, "because nothing is off-limits today in the world of politics."

However, Ventura kept the door open for a possible bid, saying things could change before the 5 p.m. Tuesday filing deadline.

Ventura made the announcement before a national audience Monday night on CNN's "Larry King Live." The unpredictable independent's flair for generating media attention would have transformed an already expensive and contentious race between GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat and former "Saturday Night Live" personality Al Franken into a free-for-all.

For the past week, Minnesota's political class had waited to see if Ventura would really get back into the race -- or if he was just enjoying a new chance to bask in the spotlight almost six years after he left the governor's office after a single term.