Lawmakers Return to Capitol, Honor Melissa & Mark Hortman
Minnesota lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 17, with heavy hearts as they paid tribute to late state Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark and their dog, Gilbert.
The Hortmans and their family pet were gunned down in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14. The killings happened just days after lawmakers approved a budget in special session to avoid a government shutdown.
The 2026 session started with a memorial remembrance in the House chamber to honor the Hortmans. Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who survived getting shot in their Champlin home on June 14, were in attendance.
Lawmakers read a proclamation honoring the Hortmans. Rep. Xp Lee of Brooklyn Park, who won a special election to fill Hortman’s seat, read part of the proclamation, noting that Mark and Melissa met while volunteering to mentor students.
Melissa Hortman, a DFLer, served 20 years in the Minnesota House and was the longest serving woman speaker in state history, serving as speaker from 2019 to 2025.
“It was very rare to find Melissa Hortman having a harsh word about anybody,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who spoke during the remembrance. Walz held up a copy of “Getting to Yes” Hortman had given him and former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, a Republican, as a way to start conversation and avoid a shutdown.
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor as a Republican candidate, also spoke.
“Melissa was a leader whose legacy will outlast any single legislative session or political moment,” said Demuth, “Melissa’s brand of leadership brought people in, rather than shutting them out.”
Demuth and Hortman negotiated a power-sharing agreement when the Minnesota House was tied at 67-67 with Demuth becoming speaker.
Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and House DFL caucus leader Zack Stephenson also gave remarks. Stephenson spoke on how Hortman never gave up after losing House races in 1998 and 2002, before she won election in 2004.
“Her persistence, her strength of will, those were defining aspects of Melissa Hortman,” said Stephenson. “But make no mistake, her persistence wasn’t about ambition, it was about service.”
Lawmakers left the chamber placing a rose at Hortman’s desk. A bouquet of flowers was also placed in the gallery where Mark Hortman sat when Melissa was elected House speaker in 2019.
Photo and video credit: Minnesota House Public Information Services
