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Dear neighbors,

On Saturday, June 14, we all awoke to the devastating news that Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated in their home along with their beloved golden retriever, Gilbert. Senator John Hoffman, along with his wife Yvette and daughter Hope, were also targeted in an assault in their home that morning by the same suspect. The Hoffmans are making a remarkable recovery and we continue to hold them in our thoughts. These actions of political violence have shaken our state, and me personally, very deeply.

Melissa Hortman served over 20 years in the House and was our Speaker of the House for six of those years. She was a brilliant and dedicated legislative leader who was passionate about her state, her community, and particularly, her family. Melissa led some of the most consequential work in our state’s history, guiding us through the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing needed change following the murder of George Floyd, and championing numerous transformational investments and policy changes to make Minnesota work better for everyone. 

Melissa was not my boss, but she was our leader. She was the first to remind any of us legislators that our bosses were the 42,000 Minnesotans we were elected to represent. She would often say on controversial votes to “vote your districts”, meaning-- you are first and foremost accountable to the people that brought you here. But after that, we were loyal to our caucus, and we were loyal to her.

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I came into the House that Melissa built. When I was sworn-in in 2023, she was going into her third term as Speaker of the Minnesota House, and her fifth term as caucus leader. Melissa changed our institution for the better, recognizing that the identities of elected officials in Minnesota had changed and that our practices, rules, and culture needed to change with it. She made the House a better place for women, people of color, and parents. She made our institution more humane, and recognized that how we do the work is just as important as getting the work done. 

But no doubt about it, she was about the work. At the start of the 2023 session, Melissa told me, “anytime this session we are not passing bills, I’m going to be annoyed.” She meant it. We got to work immediately on the transformative 2023 session that will change lives for generations to come. We didn’t waste time and we burned political capital, knowing that our chance to govern may be short. That feels even more prescient now. 

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When we came into the 2025 session with much harder circumstances, Melissa never blinked. She started the session by leading our caucus through a quorum battle to ensure we could have fair representation that reflected the wishes of Minnesota voters, a battle that ended when she gave up her Speakership. She ended the session by taking a vote on undocumented healthcare that she never wanted to take, and took that vote alone for the sake of our caucus. The throughline of this session is her selfless commitment to all of us.

Her mark on our state is everywhere – trees planted, solar on roofs, lunches in kids' bellies, votes restored, a stronger Democratic process, and lives improved. Her loss will also be felt everywhere – at her seat in our chamber, at the front of our caucus room, when trees that she helped plant blossom every spring during the hardest weeks of legislative session at the Capitol. 

It was an honor to call her a friend, colleague, fearless leader, and Madam Speaker. She will be forever missed.

*Members of the public wishing to pay their respects are invited to the State Capitol rotunda this Friday, June 27 between noon and 5 p.m. when Melissa and Mark Hortman, along with Gilbert, will lie in state.* Melissa will be the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans to lie in state in the Capitol.

*On Saturday, June 28, at 10:30 a.m., a private funeral will take place. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety will livestream the services on its* *YouTube channel* [ [link removed] ]*.*

Melissa and Mark Hortman Funeral

The pain is far-reaching. Everyone who knew Melissa and Mark is hurting, but this tragedy is also a loss for everyone who believes in the value of public service and the power of our democracy. I’ve found comfort in the words of Melissa and Mark’s children: Sophie and Colin. While experiencing unthinkable grief, they showed remarkable leadership and grace by offering the following suggestions to all of us on how to best honor the memory of their parents:


* Plant a tree.
* Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail.
* Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.
* Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. 
* Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone.
* Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something.
* Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.

Moving forward without Melissa seems impossible, but I know the only way forward is together. It’s what she would have wanted. We can honor her legacy through being kind, decent, and thoughtful. By taking the work, but never ourselves, too seriously. By reaching out when it would be easy to recoil, especially at this moment. By loving each other, and loving Minnesota.

Keep in Touch

Please continue to reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at [email protected] or 651-297-7087. You can also follow my Facebook page [ [link removed] ]. 

In community,

Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura

Minnesota House of Representatives






Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura

5th Floor, Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

Phone: 651-296-0173
Email: [email protected] "(replies to this newsletter are not monitored)"
Website: www.house.mn.gov/63A [ [link removed] ]
Legislative Assistant: Declan McGuire, 651-297-7087







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