This is craven if true. Minnesota’s Democratic primary for who will succeed Sen. Tina Smith is getting nasty between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, each of whom has received solid endorsements from within their party. Some heavyweights, or folks considered as such in Democrat circles, have staked their claims here. It’s where anything can help, because this looks like a very tight race, but State Sen. John Hoffman tore into Craig, and, again, if true, anyone can see why.
Hoffman was involved in an assassination attempt, during which he and his wife, Yvette, were shot by Vance Boelter in the early morning hours of June 24, 2025. Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of the Minnesota State House of Representatives, was also targeted, but she did not survive her injuries. Boelter was recently sentenced to two life sentences without parole for the attacks.
As Hoffman recovered in the ICU, he alleged that Craig pestered him for his endorsement. The congresswoman has denied Hoffman’s recollection of events. Hoffman recounted this during a pro-Flanagan rally on July 25 (via CBS News):
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. John Hoffman says that Angie Craig asked him to endorse her while he was in the ICU after the assassination attempt on his life.
This is insanely gross. Craig is cooked. pic.twitter.com/bBWNZ95CxY
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) July 25, 2026
“It’s different than from her opponent,” Sen. Hoffman said at a rally Friday night for Craig’s DFL rival Peggy Flanagan. “When her opponent would check on our family, she asked for my — she asked that I endorse her campaign. She sent a dear friend out twice. Once when I was in the ICU and once at our home.”
Craig disputed Hoffman’s claim as her campaign released a screenshot of a text conversation between her and Hoffman from June, saying she and her wife were praying for the Hoffman family.
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In a later statement, Hoffman said he “told the truth about what Yvette and I experienced.” Read the rest of the statement below:
“The screenshots released by her campaign show direct text messages from Congresswoman Craig. They do not address the substance of what I said: that a dear and trusted friend approached us twice on her behalf regarding an endorsement, once while I was in the ICU and again while I was recovering at home.
“That friend confirmed that the endorsement requests came from Congresswoman Craig. Yvette was also present for these conversations. I did not invent them, and I will not allow our family’s experience to be dismissed simply because it is politically uncomfortable.
“I acknowledge that Congresswoman Craig sent a message expressing sympathy after the shooting. My remarks addressed the endorsement requests that followed and the painful impression those requests left on our family while we were trying to survive and recover. It is dishonest to give condolences and then immediately ask for endorsement like her text showed.
“Peggy Flanagan’s repeated contacts with our family were different. Peggy reached out simply to ask whether Yvette, Hope, and I were okay. She sought nothing in return.
“My remarks were about that contrast, and I remain accountable for every word I said.
“Congresswoman Craig may disagree with my endorsement. She may defend her campaign’s conduct. But she does not get to rewrite what my family experienced or publicly attack my honesty.
“After everything Yvette, Hope, and I have endured, we deserve better than having our trauma turned against us for political damage control.”
Yikes, man.
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