Super Bowl Champ to be Jensen’s running mate for MN governor
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS confirms a former Minnesota Viking and Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl Champion Matt Birk will be named the lieutenant governor running mate of Republican candidate Scott Jensen next week. Birk is well known not only for his football exploits but also for his outspoken conservative views on issues like marriage and COVID 19.
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Both Jensen and Birk have been outspoken critics of vaccine and mask mandates and the government shutdown of businesses during the pandemic.
The Jensen campaign is planning what they bill as a “big announcement” at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel in Eagan on Tuesday.
Sources say Birk will be announced as Jensen’s running mate and the two will also unveil what they call a “bold” and “unique” campaign strategy.
Friday evening, the DFL issued a statement regarding Jensen’s selection of a running mate to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:
“Scott Jensen has selected a running mate who is as committed to the far-right fringe as he is. Matt Birk has campaigned to ban marriage equality in Minnesota, supports outlawing abortion, and is a vehement anti-vaxxer. The Jensen Birk ticket’s far-right extremism is out of touch with Minnesota’s values, and the contrast with Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan couldn’t be more clear.”
KEN MARTIN, CHAIRMAN OF MINNESOTA DFL
Jensen is one of seven Republican candidates running for the GOP endorsement at the party’s May convention. Last month, GOP candidate Kendall Qualls named former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya as his campaign co-chair.
Former Twin Cities television anchor and radio talk show host Cory Hepola announced this week he’s launching a third-party candidacy under the Forward Party banner.