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Memorial for Rep. Melissa Hortman at Minnesota Capitol as family issues first statement
Flowers, signs, personal items and photos fill a memorial honoring Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband at the State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul. The tribute sits just outside the House chamber, where Hortman served as a longtime legislator and leader.
Mourners gathered outside the Minnesota Capitol building Sunday to remember the life of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her spouse, Mark Hortman.
Those in attendance added flowers, cards and candles to a memorial in front of the Capitol steps. Memorials have also formed at Hortman’s desk inside the Capitol and at other locations around the state.
A bouquet of red roses, a gavel and a framed portrait of Rep. Melissa Hortman sit on her desk in the Minnesota House chamber at the State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, was killed along with her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated shooting.”
Hortman, 55, served as speaker of the Minnesota House from 2019 through 2024. Over the last six months, Hortman stepped aside and agreed to serve as speaker emerita after Democrats lost the House majority in November. She helped negotiate a budget deal with Walz and Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth that was passed last week.
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Sophie and Colin Hortman, the adult children of the Hortmans, issued a statement on behalf of the family. They described themselves as “devastated and heartbroken.”
“They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone,” Monday night’s statement read. “Their love for us was boundless. We will miss them so much.”
It goes on to ask for privacy but offered gestures of support people could make to honor the memory of Melissa and Mark Hortman. They range from planting a tree to petting a dog — “a golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.”
Other suggestions are to bake bread as Mark would like or a cake as Melissa would. But there was also the serious.
“The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community a little better for someone else,” the statement from Colin and Sophie Hortman concludes.
Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and wounded by what is believed to be the same suspect, but they are expected to survive from the injuries.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz, visit a memorial for Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at the State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul. The couple left flowers and wrote a message in the remembrance book honoring the late House speaker.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
A photograph of Rep. Melissa Hortman, listed as “Speaker Emerita,” is seen on a display board showing members of the Minnesota House of Representatives at the State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Mourners stand in front of a Capitol memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in St. Paul on Sunday.
Jaylan Sims | MPR News
Two women embrace while mourning outside the Minnesota House chamber at the State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Joe Geary, member of North Dakota's Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, sets up a dream catcher that he made with his wife in honor of Rep. Melissa Hortman's and Sen. John Hoffman's family near the Minnesota Capitol steps in St. Paul on Sunday.
Jaylan Sims | MPR News
Bernice (left) and Jenni place flowers at a memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband outside the State Capitol on Monday.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Mourners stand near the Minnesota Capitol memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in St. Paul on Sunday.
Jaylan Sims | MPR News
A “Moms Demand Action” T-shirt, flowers, and handwritten notes are left by Molly Leutz at a memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband outside the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul. One note reads, “Thank you. Minnesota is better because of you. Our champion. Our speaker.”
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Burnsville residents Mark and Mary-Kay Anderson stand in front of the Minnesota Capitol memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
Jaylan Sims | MPR News
Joe Geary, member of North Dakota's Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, sets up a dream catcher that he made with his wife in honor of Rep. Melissa Hortman's and Sen. John Hoffman's family near the Minnesota Capitol steps in St. Paul on Sunday.
Jaylan Sims | MPR News
Mourners stand in front of the Minnesota Capitol memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in St. Paul on Sunday.
Jaylan Sims | MPR News
Paul Hartzheim bows his head in silence while visiting a memorial for Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband outside the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, in St. Paul.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Mourners stand in front of the Minnesota Capitol memorial honoring Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in St. Paul on Sunday.
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