Matt Birk Dials Down Boisterous Tweeting After 'Walz' Troll

MINNESOTA — Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Matt Birk has dialed down his typically boisterous Twitter presence following his gag about meeting with Gov. Tim Walz.

Birk's "Walz" troll was just one in a series of sarcastic and testy tweets in early September.

On Sept. 6, Birk tweeted "PERFECT! Turning it up to 11" in response to a KSTP/Survey USA poll that showed him and his running mate for governor, Scott Jensen, down by 18 points.

Later that night, at about 8 p.m. he went after Michael Brodkorb, a former Minnesota Republican campaign strategist who has been a vocal critic of Birk and Jensen.

Birk took issue with the criticism, and in a reply on Twitter, referenced Brodkorb's 2013 DWI and an affair he had with former Republican Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch in 2011.

Two days later, on Sept. 8, Birk acknowledged on Twitter that things "have gotten pretty heated as of late" and said he had set up a meeting with "Walz" to "find common ground and move forward."

But Birk had no intention of extending an olive branch to the current govenor.

As is turns out, Birk was trolling his followers. Birk just went golfing with Wes Walz, a former member of the Minnesota Wild.

Since that "Walz" gag, Birk's Twitter presence has become far more muted, consisting of retweets of Jensen and standard campaign points. He had no immediate response, snarky or otherwise, about a Star Tribune poll published Sunday that showed him and Jensen down 7 points.

The Republican campaign for governor has been marred by controversial statements, including a comment from Jensen comparing COVID-19 lockdown measures to the Holocaust. Birk's anti-abortion "rape card" comment also drew criticism.

"If I hear any more of this Holocaust stuff, I'll never talk to you again," conservative newspaper columnist Joe Soucheray told Jensen in an interview. "That was utter embarrassing BS. I don't stand for it. I can't take it."

Jensen has also taken criticism from conservatives after he downplayed the abortion issue.

Meanwhile, Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are running a quiet campaign. Neither Democrat has plans to debate their respective Republican opponent.