For a politician known for her desire to stay out of the limelight and focus on the collaborative discussions of day-to-day politics, Melissa Hortman’s sudden national attention feels like a grim disservice.
The Democratic State Representative from Minnesota was gunned down alongside her husband Mark in their Brooklyn Park residence in the early hours of Saturday, June 14.
The attack has been condemned by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as “an unspeakable tragedy” and a “political assassination.” Walz described Hortman as “a great leader” and “the dearest of friends.” President Donald Trump and other national leaders have also denounced the violence.
Hortman, 55, first assumed office in 2005 and was Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025. Hortman, who was a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, was known for her cross-party collaboration and her work on healthcare, reproductive rights, and climate policy throughout her two decades in office.
“Everybody liked her and respected her on both sides of the aisle,” said former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican. “She had more than one gear. She could be easygoing and funny. When it came to her policy views, she could be very strong and decisive and a tough negotiator.”
Hortman, a one-time lawyer, was born in Fridley, Minnesota, in 1970. She worked as an intern for Al Gore and John Kerry. Her legal work won her national recognition in 1997 through a case involving landlord discrimination that was awarded the largest civil compensation in state history at the time.
DNC Chair Ken Martin, former chair of the state Democratic Party in Minnesota, said Hortman was “the very best Speaker of the House that Minnesota ever had.”
Minnesota Public Radio described Hortman as “irreverent” and with a “sorry, not sorry” attitude in a profile in 2017. She wasn’t known as a firebrand but as someone who often sat quietly, understanding the value of unspoken thought.
That said, she wasn’t afraid of calling out disrespect. In 2017, Hortman made headlines for criticizing male legislators for playing cards while their female colleagues of color were speaking about a bill on the floor. “I hate to break up the 100 percent white male card game in the retiring room but I think this is an important debate,” she announced in the House.
Over the last six months, Hortman stepped aside and agreed to serve as the honorary ‘speaker emerita’ after Democrats lost the House majority in November. She helped negotiate a budget deal with Walz and the Republicans that passed earlier this week.
Hortman was a Roman Catholic who taught Sunday school in Blaine. She is survived by her two children.
Police have reported that at around 2 a.m. on June 14, they were called to the Champlin residence of State Senator John Hoffman to find that he and his wife, Yvette, had been shot. Both are expected to survive following surgery.
Some hours later, they performed a proactive check-up on Hortman, who lived roughly 15 minutes away, discovering a “police” vehicle in the driveway and a man dressed as a cop leaving the house.
The suspect immediately opened fire on police, retreating back into the house as officers shot back. The suspect is believed to have fled out the back door as police entered to find Mark Hortman on the ground, “clearly struck by gunfire.” They later found Hortman herself while searching the house with a drone. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police later identified the suspect as Vance Boelter, 57, a former appointee to the Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Board. At the scene, authorities say they found a list with over 70 names of top Minnesota Democrats and abortion providers and advocates. The suspect is currently still at large.
