‘Her mirthful eyes, her sharp humor’: Colleagues remember Melissa Hortman, assassinated at age 55

DFL House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark pose for a photo at the DFL Humphrey-Mondale Dinner on Friday June Credit Photo courtesy of the House DFL CaucusHouse Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman DFL-Brooklyn Park speaks to reporters on Friday June at the Capitol following the announcement of a special session to finish the state budget House Speaker Lisa Demuth R-Cold Spring is at right Credit MinnPost photo by Shadi BushraIn this Jan file photo DFL House Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman left spoke at a news conference about a DFL House boycott explaining that her members would be doing things such as meeting with constituents preparing decree making appearances but would not show up in the House chambers Credit MinnPost photo by Peter CallaghanSpeaker Melissa Hortman DFL and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy DFL at a budget forecast news conference in February Credit MinnPost file photo by Tom OlmscheidIn this Dec file photo Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy left DFL Speaker Designate Melissa Hortman center and Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart attend a state budget forecast presentation Credit MinnPost file photo by Tom OlmscheidHouse Speaker Melissa Hortman I have a great picture of Aisha Gomez and Dave Lislegard doing a fist bump when we signed the tax bill because it s really a great blend of the two The tax bill was signed after the historic legislative session Credit Courtesy House Masses Information Services House Speaker Melissa HortmanFILE Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman addresses the house floor after being re-elected for her third term during the first day of the legislative session Tuesday Jan in St Paul Minn Credit AP Photo Abbie Parr FileSenate President Bobby Joe Champion and House Speaker Melissa Hortman give each other a high-five during Gov Tim Walz s State of the State speech on Wednesday Credit MinnPost file photo by Tom OlmscheidFormer DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman was shot and killed Saturday MinnPost freelance photographer took this photo of Hortman on May Hortman later informed him she was fussy about photos but really liked this one Credit MinnPost Photo by Tom OlmscheidFILE State Rep Melissa Hortman D-Brooklyn Park smiles during the nomination process before she was elected speaker of the Minnesota House as the Legislature convened in St Paul Minn Jan Credit AP Photo Jim Mone FileFILE House Speaker Melissa Hortman DFL-Brooklyn Park attends a press conference in St Paul Minn June Glen Stubbe Star Tribune via AP File In this June file photo House Speaker Melissa Hortman spoke at a news conference at the Minnesota Capitol Credit MinnPost file photo by Peter CallaghanIn this photo from May House Speaker Melissa Hortman speaks to the press while DFL Majority Leader Ryan Winkler looks on Hortman was telling reporters she d accepted Gov Tim Walz s invitation to meet to decide on how and when to convene a special session Credit MinnPost photo by Walker Orenstein The last time Melissa Hortman spoke at a Minnesota Capitol press conference she cried Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House Hortman had cast the lone DFL yes vote on a bill to remove undocumented immigrant adults from a reduced cost state wellness care plan a move she revealed was necessary to get Republican help on completing a state budget Inquired what it felt like to approve rule she personally did not encouragement Hortman first rolled her eyes in anguish before tearing up You know I ll continue to have wellbeing insurance So I m fine What I worry about is the people who lose their medical insurance Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were fatally shot early Saturday morning in their Brooklyn Park home by a person impersonating a police officer They leave behind two children Her death was preceded by John Hoffman a DFLer who chairs the state Senate Human Services Committee and wife Yvette Hoffman being shot in their Champlin home The Hoffmans survived the shooting Law enforcement authorities say they have identified a suspect -year-old Vance Boelter in both shootings and are in pursuit of Boelter Related DFL leader Melissa Hortman shot and killed in targeted shooting Stunned colleagues and political rivals on Saturday remembered Hortman as a sharp champion of liberal causes including abortion rights who was also a realistic and effective negotiator She was a frustrating opponent because she was so good Mark Johnson R-East Grand Forks and state Senate minority leader stated in an interview She was very smart and very focused Melissa Hortman woke up every day to make our state a better place Gov Tim Walz recounted reporters Saturday She served the people of Minnesota with grace compassion and tirelessness Hortman was also funny During a press conference last month she jousted with reporters asking about budget negotiations and her prior vow to waterboard uncooperative lawmakers I should have never used that word Hortman stated There is nothing funny about torture So I think maybe the word I should have used is colonoscopy Proctological exam I don t know but something uncomfortable and thorough I will miss her her mirthful eyes her sharp humor and her partnership Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy DFL-St Paul noted in a comment Saturday My heart breaks for her House colleagues and staff My heart breaks for all of us A nonlinear path Hortman graduated from Blaine High School in and then attended college at Boston University where she graduated manga cum laude with a degree in political science and philosophy She interned for Al Gore and John Kerry when each were U S Senators In Hortman completed law school at the University of Minnesota graduating cum laude According to MinnLawyer Hortman gained prominence in when she won for Stormy Harmon a Black mother of three who accused her landlord of housing discrimination At the time it was the largest housing discrimination civil penalty in Minnesota history and put Hortman on a path toward political leadership But the path was not linear Hortman lost two bids for a Minnesota House seat before getting elected in She got to the Legislature on her third try Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon notified MPR News on Saturday That says a lot about her character and determination Hortman eventually climbed the House leadership ranks first as chair of the Resource Finance and Program Committee In the and legislative sessions Hortman spearheaded bills around solar force including requiring that utilities begin using solar Sparse legislators have had as large an impact on the state of Minnesota and she was a nationally recognized leader on force agenda House Speaker Lisa Demuth R-Cold Spring declared in a announcement Saturday Hortman became House Minority Leader in When the DFL took control of the chamber in Hortman became House Speaker a position she held until this January Trifecta and power sharing With Walz also starting his gubernatorial tenure in DFLers were poised to reshape Minnesota This was especially true in by which time the DFL had wrested control of the Senate The conclusion was a veritable liberal guidelines wish list Walz and legislators increased per pupil spending on K- students provided all of those students free breakfast and lunch eased access for abortions required businesses to offer paid family and medicinal leave expanded what workers qualify for unemployment insurance and extended the longstanding MinnesotaCare subsidized fitness care undertaking to undocumented immigrants of all ages Urged in to describe the Legislature s accomplishments Hortman mentioned Transformational is definitely on the bingo card Transformational and historic Related Transformational and also bonkers Minnesota Legislature ends its session of historic spending agenda changes Hortman s work made her a hero to progressive organizations The expansive gains made in for everyday people from all walks of life like a statewide paid family and physiological leave procedures happened because of her leadership Doran Schrantz executive director of region organizing coalition Isaiah disclosed in a announcement Saturday But it also made Republicans feel bulldozed with lawmakers calling the legislative session bonkers The voting that delivered the presidency back to Donald Trump also resulted in a Minnesota House split between DFLers and Republicans Hortman advised her caucus to sit out this year s legislative session until a powersharing agreement was final A deal was reached days after the session s scheduled start that made Demuth speaker and Hortman speaker emerita As the Legislature blew past its May adjournment date to pass a budget Demuth and other Republican legislators harped on these days as the reason for the delay Hortman caught just as much heat from her own caucus The outlines of a budget deal declared last month kept intact practically all of the session s new laws except one Undocumented immigrants aged and over could no longer access MinnesotaCare Related Legislature with Melissa Hortman vote ends MinnesotaCare for undocumented adults DFL rank-and-file lawmakers accused leadership of turning their backs on the majority of vulnerable Minnesotans A standalone bill curbing MinnesotaCare eligibility narrowly passed during the special session Monday after hours of passionate debate In her remarks to reporters Monday night Hortman commented she felt like crap because of the MinnesotaCare concession but noted that it was her job to see a budget compromise through I did what leaders do I stepped up and got the job done for the people of Minnesota she noted The post Her mirthful eyes her sharp humor Colleagues remember Melissa Hortman assassinated at age appeared first on MinnPost