John Hoffman says Angie Craig sought endorsement while he was in ICU
Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman says Rep. Angie Craig sought his Senate endorsement during his recovery; Craig’s campaign denies it.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman says the John Hoffman Angie Craig endorsement dispute began while he was still in intensive care after the June 2025 attack that nearly killed him and his wife, Yvette.
Hoffman, a Democrat, said at a Friday rally for Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan that Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., sought his backing for her U.S. Senate campaign during a period when his family’s ordeal was receiving wide attention. Flanagan is also seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat.
In a statement to NBC News on Sunday, Hoffman said a “dear and trusted friend” approached him twice about an endorsement, first while he was in the ICU and later while he was recovering at home. Hoffman said that friend confirmed the requests came from Craig.
Craig’s campaign flatly denied the allegation. A campaign spokesperson told NBC News the claim was “categorically false” and said Craig contacted Hoffman in the ICU only to express sympathy from herself and her wife, Cheryl, after the shooting.
Did Angie Craig ask John Hoffman for an endorsement?
Hoffman says she did, through a trusted friend, while he was in intensive care and again after he returned home. Craig’s campaign says she did not ask for an endorsement while he was in the ICU and did not contact him again until Aug. 5, after Hoffman had resumed making political endorsements in other races.
The Craig campaign provided NBC News with text messages showing Craig sent well-wishes to the Hoffmans on June 14, the day of the shooting. The messages also show Craig sent an Aug. 5 note saying she “would love to talk with you about the open Senate race when you’re up to it,” according to NBC News.
Hoffman was released from intensive care on July 7, NBC News reported.
Craig also denied Hoffman’s claim in an interview with KMSP-TV of Minneapolis. Hoffman responded in his Sunday statement, saying he and Yvette Hoffman had told the truth about what they experienced.
Hoffman said he acknowledged Craig’s sympathy message after the shooting, but said his campaign remarks referred to later endorsement requests and the impression they left on his family during recovery. He accused Craig of trying to recast what happened, while saying she was entitled to defend her campaign’s conduct.
Flanagan’s campaign stayed out of the fight. Asked about Hoffman’s allegation, a spokesperson for Flanagan told NBC News it was “a matter between Congresswoman Craig and the Hoffmans.”
State Sen. Erin Maye Quade told NBC News she visited Hoffman at a rehabilitation facility in late July and heard him describe someone seeking an endorsement on Craig’s behalf. Quade said Hoffman told her the person was a friend who was also a surrogate and working with Craig’s campaign, and she said the story had not been treated as secret over the past year.
Hoffman contrasted Craig’s alleged approach with Flanagan’s contact with his family, saying Flanagan checked on them and sought nothing in return. His Friday comments came at a St. Paul rally for Flanagan where Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was also present.
The dispute is unfolding against the backdrop of the attack that wounded John and Yvette Hoffman and killed House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. Vance Boelter, 59, pleaded guilty last month to six federal counts tied to the stalking and shooting of the Hoffmans and the murders of the Hortmans. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years, the maximum sentence short of the death penalty.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.