Caroline Cummings

Statement from Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat who was shot several times in June in an attempted assassination:

"The assassination of Charlie Kirk today is only the latest act that our country cannot continue to accept."

#mnleg

BREAKING: Political activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk has died after being shot at a Utah campus event, the president says. He was 31. https://cnn.it/46gFG4u

I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say her absence is like a void. I can’t even fathom what the capitol will be like without her.

May her memory be a blessing. And may this unthinkable tragedy bring everyone across the political divide closer together.

Rest in peace, Madam Speaker. 🩷

No matter if you’re Republican or Democrat, journalist or lobbyist, nonpartisan or partisan staff, there is a special kinship we share at the Minnesota Capitol, a bond no one will fully understand unless you’re in it.

That’s why everyone is grieving so deeply.

Now GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth shared how much Hortman had a profound impact on the institution and her own leadership. Democrats in her caucus have said Hortman made them feel seen and heard and showed them the ropes when they were new.

Hortman said when it was clear she would have to cede the speakership to Republicans get a power-sharing deal, it was a no brainer to let that go to get the tied House to operate smoothly.

But it was harder for her DFL colleagues to accept that because of their devotion to her.

She navigated complex budget negotiations with ease and managed so many competing interests without ever making anyone feel small.

During the power dispute at beginning of session, I was struck by how loyal her caucus was to her — a sign of a true leader.

She often gave incredible one-liners because she had such a dry (and underrated) sense of humor. I appreciated it so much. It bright a lightness to tense moments.

She was a public servant in the truest sense of the word who commanded respect but exuded humility. So many politicians are showboats; she never was.

Covering the Minnesota Legislature has been such a privilege these last five sessions. A relationship between a journalist and an elected official is a professional one, not a friendship. We have to ask tough questions.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t human. And Melissa Hortman was a good one.

Klobuchar dined with Minnesota lawmaker just hours before she was killed The Minnesota senator remembers Hortman, a friend of decades, as a "skilled legislator," she told POLITICO.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar dined with Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota lawmaker and decades-long friend, just hours before she and her husband were shot and killed in what authorities are saying was a politically motivated killing.

“I wish everyone had known her like we knew her,” Klobuchar told POLITICO.