Republican lieutenant governor candidate Matt Birk used his Twitter account over the weekend to elevate a claim circulating among conservatives that DFL Gov. Tim Walz purchased a cabin in neighboring South Dakota.
Responding to a campaign tweet from Walz about upholding "Minnesota values" this election cycle, Birk, a former Minnesota Viking, blasted Walz as a "guy from Nebraska, who just bought a lake place in South Dakota, aiming to turn us into California, lecturing us about OUR Minnesota values."
Nichole Johnson, Walz's campaign manager, said the claim is false. "Neither the governor nor his spouse own any property, let alone a property in South Dakota," she said, adding: "This kind of dishonesty doesn't belong anywhere near the governor's office."
Walz's January 2022 economic disclosure with the state showed no property ownership at the time. The governor and his family live at the governor's residence in St. Paul, which is owned by the state. Governors typically live at the residence during their tenure in office. Walz sold his home in Mankato before moving to St. Paul.
Since Sunday, the tweet has gotten hundreds of interactions on the social media platform, but there's no evidence backing up Birk's claim. The campaign of Birk and governor candidate Scott Jensen did not respond to repeated requests for more information.
The idea that Walz owns a lake property in South Dakota appears to have first surfaced on social media this spring and early summer from users who don't provide any supporting evidence. One user repeatedly tweeting the claim circled Lake Hendricks, which stretches from Minnesota across the border to South Dakota, as the alleged location of Walz's lakefront property.
But the Brookings County Equalization Office in South Dakota said there are no property records under the name of either the governor or his wife, Gwen Walz, anywhere in the county. Their records are updated weekly.
Birk, a newcomer to politics, is the presumptive GOP nominee for lieutenant governor after he and Jensen won the backing of Republican Party activists over four other candidates in May. Their ticket faces only token opposition in the upcoming August primary election.
