Politicians condemn "horrific," "heinous" shootings of Minnesota state lawmakers
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Melissa and Mark Hortman attended a Democratic fundraising dinner the night before they were fatally shot. Photo: Minnesota House DFL Caucus
Leaders from across the political spectrum expressed shock and condemnation Saturday in the wake of "targeted" attacks in Minnesota that left a top Democratic state lawmaker dead and another hospitalized.
The big picture: Minnesota House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed at their suburban Twin Cities home early Saturday in what officials described as a "politically motivated assassination" by an assailant who posed as a police officer.
- State Sen. John Hoffman, of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, and his wife were injured in a separate shooting at their residence roughly five miles away in Champlin.
What they're saying: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who recalled door-knocking for Hortman's first legislative campaign in the early 2000s, called the shootings an "attack on everything we stand for as a democracy."
- "We must all condemn it," she said. "And we must refuse to be a country where anyone is silenced by threats or violence."
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi said the "horrific violence will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Former President Biden wrote on X that such a "heinous attack motivated by politics should never happen in America.
- "We must give hate and extremism no safe harbor and we must all unite against political violence as a nation," he added.
And House Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) condemned the "despicable act of political violence.
- "No public official — or any American — should fear for their safety in their own home. ... Justice must be served for the attacker still at large," he said on X.
Zoom in: Rattled Minnesota politicians — including some who saw the two targeted Democrats at a fundraising dinner just hours before the attacks — remembered Hortman as a committed public servant who led with integrity and determination during her two decades in the state Legislature.
- "Melissa talked a lot about following the Golden Rule, and the value that 'to whom much is given, much is expected,'" the state House Democratic Caucus said in a joint statement. "She felt she had the ability and the obligation to serve others. And serve others she did."
House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring), who worked closely with Hortman as the two navigated a rare tie in the House this year, said her Democratic counterpart was "respected by everyone at the Capitol as a formidable advocate for her values and her caucus."
- "She battled fiercely, but never let it impact the personal bond that we developed serving as caucus leaders," Demuth said.
Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) mourned what she called a "unspeakably tragic day for Minnesotans, especially the many of us fortunate enough to know [the Hortmans] personally."
- "Melissa Hortman was a giant and a fierce leader. She made Minnesota a better place to live," Murphy said. "Her commitment has saved and improved lives. I will miss her, her mirthful eyes, her sharp humor and her partnership."
"Melissa was a principled and effective leader who worked to bring balance to a divided legislature," GOP state Rep. Walter Hudson added on X, "Though we often stood on opposite sides of policy debates, she always treated me—and all her colleagues—with warmth, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to our state."
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called his "brilliant" and "caring" friend of two decades "a force in Minnesota politics who understood what it meant to be a public servant."
- "She knew how to stand firm on her values but understood the importance of teamwork and compromise and never backed down from hard choices. She was tough, she was kind, and she was the best of us," he said in a statement.
"She was tough, she was kind, and she was the best of us."