On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith delivered remarks honoring the life and legacy of Representative Melissa Hortman, former Minnesota House speaker, and her husband Mark Hortman.
A transcript of the Senator Klobuchar’s floor speech is below:
Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Smith, to honor two Minnesotans who are friends of ours, who were taken from us this weekend in a shocking act of political violence: Representative Melissa Hortman, our former Speaker of the House and her husband, Mark Hortman.
I’m also continuing to pray for State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who survived a brutal assassination attempt. John took nine bullets and Yvette took eight, and they are continuing to recover in the hospital. I’ve been in touch with Yvette, and she is grateful for the outpouring of support from all over the country for their family.
And I want to extend my enormous gratitude to the hundreds and hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement who worked tirelessly over the course of a 43-hour manhunt to apprehend the suspect. They ran toward the danger. They risked their lives, and because of their bravery and diligence, our state was able to breathe a sigh of relief Sunday night knowing that this man was no longer at large.
The local officers from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota also stopped further assassinations, along with other officers, in the moment by going over to check on legislators after learning about what had happened at Senator Hoffman’s house. We now know that the assassin went to two other legislators’ homes in between the two shootings that night, and in one case, sped off after being spotted by the police.
While it was too late to save Melissa and Mark, the officers’ decision to check on their house allowed them to spot the assassin, separate him from his vehicle, and begin the manhunt.
But right now, we want to focus on who Melissa and Mark were as people. They were great neighbors, wonderful friends and great parents to their beloved children, Sophie and Colin.
Melissa is someone that I wish the whole Senate and the whole nation knew. We treasured her in Minnesota. She was the epitome of what you want in a public servant. She went into it for all the right reasons.
She grew up in Spring Lake Park and Andover Minnesota, working at her family’s used auto parts company in Blaine in the summers. After leaving for college, she came back to Minnesota for law school and began her career in our state.
She was always devoted to her community. She was a girl scout leader and taught Sunday School at her local Catholic Church, and she was always one of the first to raise her hand when someone needed a volunteer for, well, just about anything, including training service dogs for veterans. One of them, Gilbert, was just too friendly for service, and so their family adopted him and loved him very much. Sadly, he was shot that night, and the two children had to make the decision to put him down this weekend. How they loved that dog.
Melissa and I first ran for public office around the same time, both with little kids. Me, for the county attorney’s office, her for the state legislature. That’s how I got to know her. I was the county attorney. She was running for legislature. We went door to door together, and it seemed like she knew everyone in the district already.
She was elected in 2004 and served in the Minnesota House for 20 years. And she left a lasting impact. As a legislator, she authored legislation that created Minnesota’s solar energy standard. As minority leader, she guided her caucus with conviction and a sense of humor. And she wasn’t afraid to call out the all-male card game taking place during debates.
When her colleagues chose to make her the speaker, her first order of business was getting rid of the speaker’s mute button. As she said at the time, “I have a gavel…and a gavel is good enough for me.”
Melissa was one of the most consequential speakers in the history of our state. She knew no limits in terms of trying to get people together, trying to get things done. And while I cannot believe she is gone, Minnesotans will be feeling the impact of her leadership forever.
When a Minnesota student gets a free school lunch, that’s Melissa.
When a Minnesota parent is able to take paid leave to spend those early, precious moments with a newborn, that’s Melissa.
When a Minnesota voter casts a ballot without facing unfair discrimination, that’s Melissa.
When a woman is able to access reproductive care in our state, that’s Melissa, and when our state achieves 100% clean energy by 2040, that will be because of Melissa.
And when we had a tied state house this year, it was Melissa who forged a power sharing agreement and a budget with her Republican counterpart.
She was a generational leader, and she led with integrity and with courage. She, like her husband, Mark, who also was accomplished in business and a kind, kind person, they were compassionate and they were smart, and they were just nice to everyone. And I can’t believe they are gone.
The polarization in our country, the divisions, the online hate, needs to stop. Violence has absolutely no place in our democracy. We need to come together and bring down the rhetoric. We must be united in the face of this attack. It was simply un-American.
That’s why the entire Minnesota delegation, Democrats and Republicans, including Senator Smith, including Congressman Emmer, came together over the weekend to call this violence out. We spoke with one voice to condemn it, and in our state, Melissa’s colleagues on both sides of the aisle have done the same.
We need to recognize the reality that there are unbalanced people out there. Read things online, they believe them. They act on them.
We have seen this too many times. There are many things we can do as a body to fix this problem, and I’m sure in the days to come, we will offer legislation on security and all kinds of things. But we don’t need to pass a law for people to turn down the rhetoric, to treat each other with decency and respect, to act a little more like Melissa and Mark.
Mr. President, Melissa and Mark Hortman were the best of us. I am shattered to have lost them, but eternally grateful to have known them.
I want to end by sharing a message from their beloved kids, Sophie and Colin. They wrote this just last night: “This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer, love your neighbors and treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents’ memory,” they said, “is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”
I urge my colleagues to hear that message, and I’m honored to be here with my wonderful colleague, Senator Smith. Thank you and I yield the floor.
Amy Klobuchar
