CHASKA, Minn. — The straw-poll leading Republican candidate for governor, Scott Jensen, has chosen like-minded archconservative football player Matt Birk as his running mate. Birk is a former Minnesota Vikings center and Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champion. Birk, age 45, had been Jensen’s campaign co-chair. Politically Birk has been outspoken in opposition to same-sex marriage and government mandates to mitigate the Co-Vid pandemic. Jensen and Birk have produced a video that, using football jargon, describes them “a team” to defeat Democrat Governor Tim Walz.

Verbatim

Jensen: “We are in the fourth quarter. We need a teammate who loves Minnesota and wants to help it thrive. Matt Birk is a devoted father and husband, a leader on and off the gridiron, and proud son of St. Paul.”