The Minnesota Democratic Party has disavowed the endorsement of Judd Hoff, a state House candidate with a troubling criminal past, by a local chapter. Hoff is accused of digging through his Republican opponent’s garbage and moving into a house across the street from her. He has also been accused of stalking and harassing Rep. Mary Franson. Republican state Rep. Josh Heintzeman highlighted Hoff’s behavior, including publishing Franson’s address and contact information, filming her at her private residence, and sending threatening messages online. Hoff was endorsed by Democrats in District 12 to run against Franson, prompting calls from Republicans for the endorsement to be rescinded.
Republican Rep. Josh Heintzeman demanded that Democrats withdraw their endorsement of Judd Hoff, citing his criminal history and his alleged harassment of Rep. Mary Franson. Franson’s district is heavily Republican and she won reelection in 2022 with nearly 70% of the vote. She expressed concern about Hoff’s candidacy, calling him dangerous. Ken Martin, chairman of Minnesota’s Democratic Party, issued a statement disavowing the endorsement and asking the local party unit to withdraw it immediately. He stated that the state party will not support Hoff and emphasized the importance of rejecting violence in politics.
Judd Hoff has a criminal history that includes a felony second-degree assault conviction for wielding a machete during an argument in 2020. He served about eight months in jail for this offense. Hoff admitted in a video to digging through Rep. Mary Franson’s garbage and moving into a home across the street from her. The chair of the district and county party committee acknowledged that it is difficult to recruit Democratic candidates to run against incumbents in such a heavily Republican area, which may have contributed to Hoff being the only candidate who came forward to run for the seat.
Bonnie Bina, the chair of the district and county party committee, stated that delegates were aware of Hoff’s criminal record and time spent in prison but were under the impression that he had moved past that and had become active in the community. However, she declined to comment on whether they were aware of the allegations of harassment against Franson. The local party committee is set to review party rules and gather more information from the state party office before deciding on their next steps regarding Hoff’s candidacy. Hoff has not yet responded to requests for comment from the Associated Press.
Overall, the situation involving Judd Hoff’s candidacy has raised concerns about his troubling criminal past and allegations of stalking and harassment. Both Democrats and Republicans have called for the withdrawal of his endorsement and emphasized the need to reject violence in politics. The local party committee is evaluating the situation and gathering more information before making a decision on how to proceed with Hoff’s candidacy. The controversy surrounding Hoff highlights the challenges of recruiting candidates in heavily Republican areas and the importance of thoroughly vetting potential candidates for public office.
