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Minnesota Lost a Political Giant on Saturday. Introducing Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-06-16

Melissa Hortman was assassinated in cold blood on Saturday by a political extremist and White Christian fundamentalist fed a diet of lies watching Fox News and Infowars. But, there’s been enough discussion of him on this website.

I wanted to spend some time talking about the woman we lost that day.

Few outside of Minnesota know about Melissa Hortman. But for those from the state, she was a political giant whose accomplishments rival those of any politician in the country.

Melissa Hortman grew up in Spring Lake Park and Andover. She graduated from Blaine High School and attended college at Boston University. There, she received a Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) with majors in Philosophy and Political Science (en.wikipedia.org/...). Following her graduation, she interned for both Al Gore and John Kerry before returning to Minnesota to attend law school.

She first gained prominence in 1997 when she won a just under half a million dollar award for her client, a Black mother of three who accused landlords of housing discrimination. At that time, it was the “largest such award in state history". (minnlawyer.com/...)

Hortman was first elected to the Legislature 2004. She lost two elections before winning, which she said gave her an understanding of what it takes to win swing seats and hold them (minnesotareformer.com/...). She held onto her seat, in the northern part of the Twin Cities, through to her death.

In 2017 she became minority leader in the Minnesota House and served as speaker from 2019 to 2025.

Besides her political and legal duties, she was always extremely active in her community. She served as a volunteer in her children’s schools, taught Sunday school, and served as a Girl Scout leader. Later, she served on the Brooklyn Park Human Relations Commission as well as the Citizen Long Range Improvement Committee, and on the Board of Directors for an Anoka County nonprofit organization (www.melissahortman.com/....).

She also helped to raise and train service dogs, and for this work she was lauded by Helping Paws after her death.

x The Hortman family helped raise and train dogs to partner with veterans. One of the many reasons we will miss Melissa and Mark. — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar.com) 2025-06-15T11:49:44.925Z

In 2017, after becoming Minority Leader, she called out White male Republicans in the House after they chose to play cards rather than listen to the testimony of then Minnesota House Democrat Ilhan Omar.

During a speech made by Rep. Ilhan Omar – a former refugee and the United States first Somali born lawmaker – Hortman noticed that several male representatives were not present, as they had excused themselves to visit the retiring room. Omar was speaking in response to a public safety budget bill that aimed to increase penalties for protesters, and she explained to House Republicans that this was "an attack on civil rights." When Hortman saw that her male colleagues had left, she reportedly called them back to their seats and said, "I hate to break up the 100% white male card game in the retiring room, but I think this is an important debate.” “For too long when women are ignored, when people of color are ignored, when women of color are ignored, people don't say anything," she added. "We need to say something. We need to call it out when we see it." (www.teenvogue.com/...)

Republicans demanded an apology, but she refused.

"I have no intention of apologizing. I am so tired of watching Rep. Susan Allen give an amazing speech, Rep. Peggy Flanagan give an amazing speech, watching Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn give an amazing speech, Rep. Rena Moran give the most heartfelt, incredible speech I've heard on this House floor, as long as I can remember, watching Rep. Ilhan Omar give an amazing speech... and looking around, to see, where are my colleagues? And I went in the retiring room, and I saw where a bunch of my colleagues were. And I'm really tired of watching women of color, in particular, being ignored. So, I'm not sorry." (www.teenvogue.com/...)

In 2019, she became speaker of the House. She helped move the State through Covid-19, the murder of George Floyd, and the protests that followed.

In 2020 she helped pass police reforms in her state. This law limited the use of neck restraints and chokeholds, prohibited departments from offering “warrior-style training”, and created an independent state unit to investigate police officers who kill citizens or are accused of sexual misconduct. After shepherding the legislation through the House, Governor Walz extolled her work.

“Minnesotans can be incredibly proud of someone who puts Minnesota’s interests first and foremost and has the skills necessary to navigate and move pieces of legislation through a process that is meant to be very difficult. (www.hks.harvard.edu/...)

She saved her most impressive work for the legislative session that followed elections in 2022. During the 2023 session, she helped unify her caucus behind an historic legislative agenda. During the next two years, Democrats codified abortion rights in law; invested in education, funded universal school meals, legalized marijuana, passed gun control laws and created paid family leave. (minnesotareformer.com/…). She restored voting rights to people convicted of crimes who had completed their sentences (boltsmag.org/...). This was an aggressive and far reaching legislative agenda that rivals the accomplishments of any Democratic legislator in the country.

She continued to face challenges after the 2024 election. Republicans tried to conduct an end run and elect a Republican speaker of the House. From January 2025 until early February, Hortman led a boycott of House sessions to deny Republicans the quorum needed to conduct business. In February, a power sharing agreement was reached with Republicans.

She was a dynamic and effective leader. During an interview with the Harvard-Kennedy School of Leadership, she described how her focus had to change once she achieved the role of Speaker in the House.

“Becoming speaker meant changing from being an advocate to being a leader,” she says. “In our role as legislators, we are advocates for particular policies and causes, but in the higher levels of leadership, you become an executive running an organization and directing the entire institution to be effective”(www.hks.harvard.edu/...).

After her assassination, the tributes poured in. Joel Smith, President of Laborers International Union in Minnesota said, “There is no greater champion for Minnesota’s working people than Melissa Hortman,” (minnesotareformer.com/...)

At a press conference Saturday, Tim Walz described her as "someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service. She was a formidable public servant. A fixture and a giant in Minnesota." www.vanityfair.com/…

Today Minnesota lost a great leader, and I lost a friend,” said Gov. Tim Walz in a statement on Saturday afternoon. “A formidable public servant and a fixture of the state Capitol, Melissa Hortman woke up every day determined to make our state a better place. She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, and tirelessness.

Senator Amy Klobucher remembered her as,

“ a good friend and we started in politics at the same time and I still remember the two of us going door to door in her first legislative campaign,” Klobuchar wrote. “She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion. As Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, she led efforts to protect women’s rights, invest in clean energy, and secure free school lunch for kids. She was beloved by her colleagues. www.yahoo.com/...

Secretary of State Steve Simon said she, “was a bright shining light of a human being,” (edition.cnn.com/…)

Others praised her on social media.

x I’m devastated to learn that my friend, Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were killed in last night’s shooting. — Gabby Giffords (@gabbygiffords.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T15:36:10.600Z

x My family—and our entire @dfl.org community—was devastated to learn of the targeted, senseless murders of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, along with the attack on Senator John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman. This political violence must end. — Ken Martin (@kenmartin.bsky.social) 2025-06-15T02:39:40.793Z

x I am heartbroken beyond words that Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark have died in a violent and politically motivated shooting. Melissa was an exceptional public servant. She was smart and funny and so dedicated to making Minnesota work better for all of us. — Tina Smith (@smith.senate.gov) 2025-06-14T15:53:25.758Z

x It should not be lost on anyone that Minnesota Rep Melissa Hortman, who was shot to death in her home last night by an assassin, was a gun safety advocate who worked tirelessly to protect her constituents from gun violence. — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T16:18:38.907Z

x Melissa Hortman was an outstanding public servant. She passed legislation that enshrined freedoms and increased opportunity for the people of Minnesota. I saw her impact firsthand when I was with her in Minnesota and will remember her compassion, humor, and sense of service. — Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris.com) 2025-06-14T18:14:37.476Z

I’ll leave the final words to her elected DFL colleagues in the Minnesota House.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/16/2328252/-Minnesota-Lost-a-Political-Giant-on-Saturday-Introducing-Minnesota-House-Speaker-Melissa-Hortman?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web

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