Ventura SEAL friend named to state lobbyist job

ST. PAUL (AP) -- A man who went through Navy SEALs training with Gov. Jesse Ventura has been named director of Minnesota's Washington office.

Bill Ranger will replace Tom Foley, who recently left the position to return to St. Paul and run for Congress as a candidate of the Independence Party of Minnesota, of which Ventura is a member. He is seeking the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento.

Ranger, one of Ventura's oldest military friends, lives in the Washington area and had been Foley's deputy.

The Washington office represents the state in Congress and before federal agencies. Ranger would be the third person to hold the job since Ventura took office.