Honoring Melissa Hortman's legacy

Dear neighbors,

Last Saturday, we laid Melissa and Mark Hortman to rest. I had the privilege of attending the service and hearing beautiful tributes from so many who loved the Hortmans. 

Melissa and Mark embodied the very best of what public service should be. Their legacy is all around us: in the policies they fought for, the people they lifted up, and the future they believed was possible. Minnesota is better because of them. Now it’s on us to carry their work forward and to keep building the future they believed in.

I had the honor of working alongside Melissa for six years in the Minnesota Legislature. I feel so lucky to have known her, to have served alongside her, and to have learned from her. Melissa truly was the best of us. She was exactly the kind of person you want to be in public service. She was humble, smart, hard-working and had a servant’s heart. She woke up every day ready to work to make Minnesota a better place for all of us. I believe she will be remembered as the most consequential Speaker of the House in Minnesota history. Her dedication, public service, and leadership will have generational impacts and will never be forgotten. 

Two weeks ago, with the entire Minnesota Congressional Delegation by my side, I led the U.S. House of Representatives in a moment of silence to honor the lives of Melissa and Mark Hortman. 

Congressman Emmer and I both spoke ahead of the moment of silence on Melissa’s life and legacy. You can watch the remarks and the moment of silence here.

Melissa and Mark’s murder and the attempted murder of the Hoffman family were unspeakable acts of politically-motivated violence. This is a devastating moment for our community, for Minnesota, and for our country. There is no place for violence in our government or in our politics – and we must make this tragedy a watershed moment in our country. That’s why I led the entire Minnesota Congressional Delegation in a bipartisan resolution condemning these attacks and calling for unity and the rejection of political violence in Minnesota and across the United States. You can read the full resolution here. 

Before the House voted on the resolution, I took to the House floor with a clear message to my colleagues: We have to make this horrific act of targeted, political violence a watershed moment for our country.

We can have disagreements and differ on policy — but we cannot normalize violent rhetoric and violent attacks. We can — and must — all do our part to preserve our safe, civil, and peaceful democracy.

I’m proud to say that both resolutions passed the House and the Senate unanimously. 

The House Clerk handed me the vote count card after the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed my bipartisan resolution to condemn the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers and reject political violence. Having every member of the House vote on this resolution was so important to me because I believe that our elected representatives play an important role in setting the tone, creating the atmosphere, and determining what becomes normalized. And we cannot let this be normalized.

As lawmakers from all over the country, we must come together and lead with kindness and compassion – no matter our political differences. We have to hold ourselves to the highest possible standard and stop violent rhetoric, bullying, and cruelty and condemn it when it happens.

I am keeping Melissa and Mark Hortman, their families, and their loved ones in my thoughts, and I’m praying for a full recovery for John and Yvette Hoffman and their family.

I am also thinking of all of you as we continue to process, grieve, and hold each other up in the wake of this tragedy.

As Melissa and Mark’s children Colin and Sophie wrote in their beautiful tribute to their parents: “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 we continue to honor Melissa and Mark not only in memory, but in our service to others.

My best,

Kelly Morrison
Member of Congress