Former NFL Player and Pro-Life Champion Matt Birk Running for Lt. Governor In Minnesota

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Mar 9, 2022   |   7:32PM   |   St. Paul, Minnesota

Matt Birk, a pro-life advocate and former NFL Super Bowl champion, could be the next lieutenant governor of Minnesota.

KSTP Eyewitness News reports Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen chose Birk as his primary running mate Tuesday, saying the athlete and family man “won’t flinch” on important matters for Minnesotans.

“We’re going to need a teammate who can hit back,” Jensen said in a campaign video announcing Birk. “[Gov.] Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan have left us worse off. We need a change in direction to restore sanity to our state. Our children and grandchildren are relying on us!”

Birk told the news outlet that he meets a lot of people at Jensen’s rallies who do not typically go political events, but they are “concerned about the state that they love” and they admire “the courage and leadership [Jensen] showed during the pandemic.”

Birk said they are “in this race to win,” and he “could not be more excited.”

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A St. Paul native, Birk played for the Baltimore Ravens when they won the Super Bowl in 2013. Soon afterward, he caught the attention of the national news media when he refused an invitation to celebrate at the White House because of President Barack Obama’s pro-abortion record.

“I would say that I have great respect for the office of the presidency, but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood,’” Birk told the press at the time. “Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year. I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t endorse that in any way.”

Since then, Birk has been using the spotlight to advocate for unborn babies’ lives, both publicly and privately, often speaking at pro-life rallies and other events. He is the father of eight children, including two who were adopted. His wife also has been a life-long pro-life advocate, including as a volunteer at a St. Paul pregnancy center.