Senator Lyman Hoffman Contact information

Lyman F. Hoffman, born on February 13, 1950, in Bethel, Alaska, is a Yup’ik politician and a registered Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans in the Alaska Senate. He has been representing the S district since 1995, and previously from 1991 through 1992.

Before his tenure in the Senate, he was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1986 through 1990, and again from 1993 through 1994. In January 2019, Hoffman became the longest-serving member in the history of the Alaska Legislature, surpassing the tenure of Jay Kerttula, the previous record holder.

Hoffman is the only registered Democrat to caucus with the Republicans in the Senate. He endorsed Republican nominee Dan Sullivan over Senator Mark Begich during the 2014 U.S. Senate race.

On May 1, 2004, Hoffman was arrested for erratic driving and for striking a home with his car. He refused to take a breathalyzer test and later pled guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to three days in jail by Judge Peter Froehlich, which began on July 6. Hoffman also had his driver’s license revoked for 90 days, was placed on probation for one year, and was fined $1,500.

Hoffman was found guilty of violating financial disclosure laws by the Senate Committee on Legislative Ethics. Hoffman hid about $500,000 in income from his business interests in a company that primarily contracts with a state-funded agency. The committee found that Senator Hoffman “knowingly” prepared and filed incomplete disclosures, leaving out a “substantial” amount of income.

Hoffman is the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, whose plan to address the fiscal crisis focuses on cutting services and capping the Permanent Fund Dividend. Critics note that the hardest hit areas from slashing the PFD are in Hoffman’s district.

Hoffman was elected to serve as the Alaska State Senate Majority Leader on July 9, 2019. He served until January 2021. Prior to serving in the Alaska State Senate Hoffman served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1986 through 1990 and from 1993 through 1994. He was also the city manager of Bethel from 1977 to 1985.