By Ruth Marcus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 9, 1998; Page A10

Minnesota Gov.-elect Jesse Ventura said yesterday he would not run for president in 2000 but suggested that Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who has twice sought the presidency on the Reform Party ticket, should step aside next time in favor of "fresh blood."

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about a possible presidential run, Ventura, the first Reform Party candidate elected governor, said, "I've got too much business to do here in the state of Minnesota, and I will fulfill my commitment to the state of Minnesota for the next four years, so I have no intention at all of running for president."

Ventura noted that he had jabbed his GOP opponent, St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, for seeking the governorship just after being reelected mayor. "I criticized him greatly because of that, and I will not put myself in the position of being a hypocrite," Ventura said.

Ventura also took digs at both President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Ventura said the president should "get his personal life in a little better order and please don't come out and deceive me anymore. I would prefer the truth, rather than be misled."

Referring to Clinton's affair with Monica S. Lewinsky, Ventura said: "It's one thing if you want to dally outside your marriage if you go to a motel room, but I have a big problem when it's being done right in the White House, which belongs to us. That's our house. That's not his house. He is just occupying it. We are the owners, he is the renter, and I think he needs to abide by those rules and show more dignity."

Asked about Hillary Clinton's pre-election visit, in which she derided his campaign as a "sideshow," Ventura said, "Well, first of all, I think that she maybe ought to not leave the White House as often as she used to. You know, there's other work for her to do, I think. Bad things seem to happen when she leaves, so she'd be better off staying back at the White House and taking care of business there, rather than worrying about politics in Minnesota."