Gazing out from the top floor of a building that overlooks the state Capitol, John Hoffman took in the panoramic view and the state senator reflected on yet another heavy moment.
His wife, Yvette, stood next to him. He was there to file for reelection.
“I’m grateful we’re here to see it,” she said. “We almost weren’t.”
It has been almost a year since the Hoffmans had their peace of mind shattered. A gunman disguised as a police officer came to their door. When they cracked it open, the shooter fired into their home, bullets poured in — piercing them both. In her Pooh Bear pajamas, Yvette forced the door shut and their daughter, Hope, called 911.
John lay on the floor of his home with multiple bullet wounds, unsure whether he’d make it through the night. He said his daughter’s calm under pressure helped save their lives.
After a year of surgeries, physical therapy and healing, Hoffman isn’t retreating from public life. He’s leaning further into it.
The four-term DFLer is seeking to return to the Legislature but faces a repeat race with the Republican who challenged him four years ago, Karen Attia, who filed for the ballot just before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
His decision to come back was a difficult one for him and his family as they considered the potential risk they’d face remaining in public life.
“People would understand if we would have just said, ‘Time to find something else.’ Right?” the senator said. “But then it would win, evil would win, and there's so much that needs to be done.”
Yvette agreed, “We are not going to let a parasite sitting in a cell dictate the important work ahead, and so here we are.”
At the Capitol and beyond, the couple has tried to highlight their story to encourage people to ratchet down the political rhetoric.
“I guess, until you're shot eight times, because I was, maybe you just need to have some empathy,” Yvette said. “We've lost that, so let's get back to it.”
Sen. Hoffman chastised a colleague in committee this spring after the lawmaker referred to people without legal status as “illegals.” And on multiple occasions he urged his colleagues to let cooler heads prevail in debates.
“There seems to be that continuation of polarization that's occurring. It’s not okay,” John Hoffman said. “I've addressed it individually to people, publicly. I tried to address it too, and we just got to keep moving forward on it.”
He’s also tried to keep the memory of his colleague and “political kid sister” – House Speaker Melissa Hortman – alive. The same shooter who targeted the Hoffmans, Vance Boelter, is alleged to have killed Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home along with their golden retriever, Gilbert.
Sen. Hoffman helped ensure that the state will name a solar garden program for Hortman, a tribute because she worked to create the program. A stretch of highway that runs through both of their districts will be named in her honor.
And to help deter attacks like those lawmakers experienced on June 14, those who impersonate a police officer will see stiffer penalties. That was another Hoffman priority this year.
There are also additional safety measures in place at the Capitol and a new unit will be established to protect elected officials against threats.
“I still get threatening voicemails. I still get threatening emails, and to the point where my staff have, we've turned some of those voicemails in,” he said. “That's the polarization that's happening in politics. We have no room for that, we need to stop it.”
The senator is still a gregarious personality at the Capitol. He cracks jokes with colleagues and welcomes all staff members or legislative assistants that want to drop by his office for a snack or a quick “Hello.”
But his “flight of fight” sense kicks in at times when he doesn’t expect it. An unexpected sound or unfamiliar voice can provoke a stress response.
“I'm more observant of where I'm at and who's around me,” he said. "If I heard a voice in the hallway that I didn't understand, I would stop, you know, because that you're that's a, that's a reaction just to the fact that when somebody has trauma.”
He also quips that his doctor wouldn’t be happy to hear about his calendar packed with committee hearings, constituent meetings and long floor sessions in the Senate.
Yvette said legislative families take a risk when a spouse files to run for office. But, for now, they feel like it’s worth it.
“This is important,” she said. “So I'll just get another pair of Winnie the Pooh pajamas, and get some heavy duty locks on our doors, and all kinds of gadgets and gizmos, and we'll do it again.”
