The Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul is photographed. (Google Earth)
"We all have a responsibility, regardless of party or ideology, to reject violence in our politics — we can and should expect better from candidates for elected office," the Democratic leader said.
Hoff’s criminal history includes a felony second-degree assault conviction for wielding a 23-inch machete during an argument in 2020. He was sentenced to 13 months and spent about eight months in jail. Court records show the judge gave him a break over the prosecution's objections because the victim was the initial aggressor.
In a video posted to YouTube, first surfaced by former GOP operative Michael Brodkorb, Hoff admitted to digging through Franson’s garbage and acknowledged moving into a home across the street from Franson.
The chair of the district and county party committee, Bonnie Bina, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Hoff was the only candidate who came forward to run for the seat. She acknowledged that it’s hard to recruit Democratic candidates to take on incumbents in such a heavily Republican area.
Bina also acknowledged that delegates knew that Hoff had a criminal record and had spent time in prison. But she said he told them he was past that and had become active in the community. She declined to comment on whether they were aware of the allegations that he harassed Franson.
The local party committee will decide its next steps after getting more information from the state party office and reviewing party rules, she said, adding that she didn't know how long that would take.
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Hoff did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
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