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Minnesota lawmakers are adopting new campaign strategies to ensure their security in the wake of the assassination of a state legislator and her husband last year.
As John Hoffman seeks a fifth term in the Minnesota Senate he’s had to retool many of his campaign trail tactics.
A little more than a year and a half ago, a gunman opened fire on him and his wife, Yvette, in their home before driving to Brooklyn Park where he assassinated state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.
That experience changed how Hoffman lives and how he campaigns.
“It absolutely is different,” Hoffman said. “My proxemics are: I look around. I spend more time really viewing the area, viewing people, who’s coming in?”
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And while he used to knock doors solo, he said now he’s always with a group.
“I only go out with people now. I don’t go out by myself anymore. It’s part of my new reality,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman isn’t alone in reexamining his campaign strategies after June 14 of last year.
State campaign finance rules now allow campaigns to pay for increased security, and candidates up and down the ballot are adding security and taking other steps to keep themselves safe as they meet with voters.
“I think that what June 14 did is it changed the way that people are thinking about political violence,” said Angela Nelson, a DFL candidate for the state Senate.
DFL state Sen. John Hoffman, left, and Senate candidate Angela Nelson, right, pose for a photo at Caribou Coffee in Anoka, on Oct. 25.
Dana Ferguson | MPR News
She said her team routinely assesses threats on social media and keeps some campaign event details quiet.
“We’re just being really careful about announcing where we are, because for some reason we’ve gotten to a point where people think that disagreement opens the door for political violence, and it’s completely inappropriate,” Nelson said.
More candidates are requiring RSVPs for people to get location information for events as a way to screen participants and ensure potentially unwanted visitors don’t show up unannounced.
Republican Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor, has experienced threats from multiple people. One of them was sentenced to supervised probation last month.
“I’ve had my own safety issues that have been public, and I don’t take that lightly.” Demuth said. She’s hired security guards to escort her to news conferences and other events.
Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, right, speaks as her Democratic opponent U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar listens during a gubernatorial debate on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the studio of KTTC/KXLT in Rochester.
Jeff Wheeler | Pool via The Minnesota Star Tribune
“I love serving in public office. It is an honor to do that, and my family is behind me on that. But there are other safety things that you have to put in place just to make sure things are okay,” Demuth said. “I would just want to be there for the people I serve and for my family.”
At a get out the vote rally outside the Capitol on Thursday, security guards shadowed DFL candidates as they spoke to supporters and loaded a bus to barnstorm around the state. That’s the new normal, said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy.
“You have absolutely seen the increased presence of security in almost all parts of our work, right? Certainly at the Capitol, but on the campaign trail too. I know them now. We see them,” Murphy said. “I’ve changed one pattern for myself, and I don’t door knock by myself anymore. And I think that’s just a measure of comfort and thoughtfulness. It is, I think, impossible in this era not to think about what we’ve experienced.”
Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy speaks to a crowd of supporters at the Capitol on Thursday.
Dana Ferguson | MPR News
Many candidates also weigh the safety of those around them when they decide to run, House DFL Caucus Leader Zack Stephenson told MPR News’ Politics Friday.
“I think it has impacted the way people campaign. I think it has impacted the way people involve their families in the campaigns, and I and that’s terrible and it’s sad,” Stephenson said.
Some have opted out of running over safety concerns, said House Republican Caucus Leader Harry Niska.
“The horrible crime has weighed on people’s minds,” Niska said. “I think every person who stepped up for office this year needs to get some credit for the courage that it took to step forward and step into the arena in the wake of that.”
There have still been threats online. And Niska noted an outburst last month where protesters stormed the stage at a Republican Party fundraiser while Demuth was speaking.
And on Wednesday, President Donald Trump alleged without evidence that Gov. Tim Walz stole billions of dollars from Minnesota and said if a Republican did that, they would face capital punishment. Several Minnesota Democrats denounced the comment and said the inflammatory rhetoric could spur violence.
“It’s despicable. It’s abhorrent. It’s dangerous,” Peggy Flanagan, the DFL nominee for U.S. Senate, said Thursday, calling on her opponent Republican Michele Tafoya to condemn the comment. “We deserve so much better than that. It’s vile, and there should be no place for it in our politics.”
Hoffman said sharp campaign speeches and a deluge of negative campaign ads haven’t helped bring the temperature down. He said that’s especially frustrating this year.
“You listen to that, and you just go, ‘Wow, that is leading into why people are polarized. That’s why I still get threats.’ I still get threats from people,” Hoffman said. “We’ve got to get rid of that. We’ve got to eliminate that.”
Whether in ads or campaign speeches, Hoffman said something has to change.
