Democrats in Douglas County are not rescinding their endorsement of a legislative candidate who was disavowed by DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin.
Earlier this moth, Judd Hoff won the DFL endorsement for the District 12B seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. District 12B is currently held by Republican Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria.
Following the DFL’s endorsement of Hoff, reporting on the candidate’s conduct toward Rep. Franson and criminal history prompted the state DFL to denounce his candidacy.
“The kind of violent and threatening behaviors that Mr. Hoff has engaged in have no place in the Minnesota DFL party,” said Ken Martin, the chairman of the DFL Party. “The Minnesota DFL strongly disavows this endorsement, and I have asked the local unit in question to withdraw their endorsement immediately.”
“The Minnesota DFL will not spend any of our resources on behalf of Mr. Hoff,” added Chairman Martin.
In 2021, Hoff was convicted of a felony following an altercation with another man in which Hoff wielded a machete in a threatening manner. Sentenced to 13 months in a correctional facility, Hoff’s sentence was a downward departure in the sentencing guidelines as he was not the initial aggressor in the incident. A separate felony charge, from a separate machete incident involving Hoff, was dismissed.
According to Rep. Franson, Hoff is a neighbor of hers who has protested the Alexandria legislator “for years.” Michael Brodkorb, an independent journalist and Republican insider, recently reported on Hoff’s behavior toward Rep. Franson.
In his reporting, Brodkorb said Hoff has “dug through Franson’s garbage,” “posted multiple pictures of Franson’s home,” publicly shared Franson’s phone number, and Hoff “knew where Franson lived when he moved into her neighborhood.” According to Brodkorb, Hoff has other convictions for disorderly conduct and damaging property.
Despite the DFL Party chairman’s request that the Hoff endorsement be rescinded, local Democrats in Douglas County have refused to abandon their candidate.
According to a statement, the DFL Central Committee of Senate District 12 “met to review the current situation concerning the Judd Hoff endorsement.” However, the group “did not find sufficient cause to take action.”
The central committee concluded their brief statement by saying they “encourage Mr. Hoff to raise the civility of the campaign for all involved.” The group of Democrats also acknowledged their “responsibility to continue to monitor the candidate’s campaign.”
According to the Alexandria Echo Press, a District 12 representative said that Hoff “disclosed the facts of his criminal history” to DFL delegates when he sought the party’s endorsement. In addition, Hoff reportedly signed a “code of conduct, which explains the guidelines and expectations of being a DFL member.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
