ST.PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz called the deaths of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark “a political assassination.” They were gunned down by an intruder in their suburban home about 3:45 a.m. Another legislator, John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, were shot and wounded earlier at their home in another suburb. “We are cautiously optimistic they will survive,” Walz said at a news conference. The governor said the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was heading the investigation: “We will spare no resource in bringing those responsible to justice. We will not let fear win.”
Verbatim
Walz: “Today Minnesota lost a great leader, and I lost a friend. 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.
Minnesota’s thoughts are with her loved ones, and my prayers are with Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who were shot and wounded and are being treated. We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate.
We must stand united against all forms of violence – and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment. To the responding officers, thank you for your bravery and your swift response.”
At 10 a.m. news conference. Governor flanked on podium by state law enforcement leadership.
Walz-Hortman connection
The governor had caucused in intense negotiations with four leaders from the Legislature, both Democrats and Republicans, including Melissa Hortman, to hammer out a compromises to balance the state budget. These negotiations spanned 2-1/2 weeks. As former House speaker, Hortman was still the Democratic leader of the House. Her current title, however, was “Speaker emerita” in a power-sharing arrangement with Republicans in the nearly evenly divided House.