Sen. John Hoffman: 9 bullets, 1 purpose

We’re all an unexpected moment from everything changing. ... What will matter is how we treated people.”

John Hoffman

As Senator John Hoffman lay recovering from the nine gunshots that nearly killed him last June, he had time to reflect.
“Survival is not a math problem,” he said. “It’s a responsibility. What matters most is what comes after.”
For Hoffman, survival has clarified his direction and his purpose. It isn’t about titles or recognition, but about impact and presence.

RECOVERY FORCED HIM TO SLOW DOWN
Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their Champlain home in the early morning hours of June 14, 2025 by a man who is also charged with shooting and killing Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband. The Hoffmans and Hortmans had been together earlier that night at an event. The targeted act of violence happened in the one place every family should feel safest – in their home, Hoffman observed. “Our lives shifted in a matter of seconds, and survival became my only priority,” he said while speaking to the Midway Chamber on Jan. 14, 2026, his first time speaking publicly about what happened since it occurred. Hoffman is a former Midway Chamber board member who has worked in the Midway area for many years.
“That same night, Minnesota lost Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Their lives were taken in an act of political violence that shook our state and our sense of security,” Hoffman stated.
Over the months since he was shot in the finger, arm and torso, Hoffman learned that recovery is not linear. “It’s doesn’t move on a schedule that makes sense to anyone watching. That’s the hardest thing,” he remarked. His last full surgery lasted nine and one-half hours as they pulled him back together. He nearly died twice. He isn’t yet able to play the drums as he did before, but he’s looking forward to getting the Midway Chamber Band back together and performing at Urban Growler.
“Recovery forced me to slow down, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And it’s in that slowing down where some clarity began to emerge,” Hoffman stated.
He pointed to what he calls the “illusion of busyness.”
“Busyness can be deceptive. It convinces us all that we’re making progress, but sometimes we’re just moving fast,” Hoffman said. He is learning patience. He’s had to ask for help. It hasn’t come naturally, but in those months of recovery, his community showed up. A woman paid for this yard to be cleaned up. A fence company fixed his fence. Healthcare workers, neighbors, business and colleagues lent a hand. It was compassion without expectation.
“Trust is the real infrastructure,” he said. Hoffman added, “When trust erodes, fear fills the gap. When fear takes root, violence finds room to grow.” Hoffman does not believe that political violence is inevitable, acceptable or partisan. Problems develop when people view disagreements as attacks, and when you look at others as less than human.
“Our answer is not to withdraw. People want to go and withdraw. And that’s anxiety, that’s fear. But the answer is engagement and its engagement in our humanity,” remarked Hoffman. The answer is centered on listening and disagreement without dehumanization.

A NEW FILTER
In January, Hoffman announced his re-election campaign.
“The answer wasn’t do more. The answer is do better. And so I have to always ask the question: How will this make life better in my community and my state and my world? That’s it. That’s my new filter.”
He is choosing gratitude over anger, and is following the Midway Chamber example that he’s seen exemplified over the years: Growth with responsibility, reinvention through engagement, and investing in other another.
“We’re all an unexpected moment away from everything changing,” said Hoffman. “When that moment comes, titles don’t matter at all. Schedules won’t matter. Arguments won’t matter. But what will matter is how we treated people. What will matter is whether we built trust or broke it. What will matter is whether we chose purpose or fear.
“I’m still here because people chose compassion over indifference, and they chose courage over retreat. That is the work ahead of us, in business and in daily life. ... I’m deeply grateful for the chance to keep going.”