John,

Our state suffered an unspeakable loss on Saturday. Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were murdered in a politically motivated assassination. Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and are now recovering from life-threatening injuries. 

Minnesota has lost an irreplaceable leader, and I lost a friend. 

Melissa served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a fierce sense of duty. She shaped the core of who we are as a state and will be remembered as the most consequential Speaker in Minnesota’s history. 

Under her leadership, Minnesota secured free universal school meals, codified reproductive freedoms, implemented gun safety measures, enacted public safety reforms, and set ambitious clean energy goals. Her impact will be felt for generations to come. 

But Melissa was more than a brilliant public servant. She was a dear family member and friend to many, a colleague cherished by those on both sides of the aisle, and a dedicated volunteer who trained service dogs for veterans. 

Her deep care for others was evident in everything she did—from devoting her life to service to her habit of showing up with enough snacks to share. She will be missed by so many. 

As a country, we cannot become numb to this violence. The way we move forward and solve the problems facing our nation is not through hate or violence, but through humility, grace, and compassion. 

As we heal, we will not let fear win. We must move forward in Melissa’s honor with understanding, service, and above all, a sense of one another’s humanity. 

I urge you to take to heart the powerful words of Melissa and Mark’s children, Sophie and Colin Hortman: “The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.” 

May each of us take up that call so together, we can carry Melissa and Mark’s legacy forward. 

Tim Walz


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Tim Walz for Governor
P.O. Box 4337
St. Paul MN 55104 United States