Statement on the Tragic Loss of Representative Melissa Hortman and the Attack on Senator John Hoffman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2025
Statement on the Tragic Loss of Representative Melissa Hortman and the Attack on Senator John Hoffman
We are devastated and outraged by the tragic events that unfolded early this morning in Minnesota. Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home. In a separate but related incident, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot at their residence in Champlin. Senator Hoffman and his wife are currently recovering from surgery.
Law enforcement agencies have confirmed that these were targeted, politically motivated attacks. The assailant reportedly impersonated a law enforcement officer to gain access to the victims' homes and left behind evidence pointing to a premeditated attempt to silence public servants through violence.
Governor Tim Walz has rightly condemned these acts as an attack on our democracy itself and has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to assist the ongoing manhunt and investigation.
Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman devoted her life to making Minnesota more just, more equitable, and more compassionate. Serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2005, including distinguished terms as Speaker and DFL Leader, she championed reproductive freedom, environmental justice, education equity, and civil liberties with clarity, courage, and an unwavering moral compass.
Melissa did not fear the truth. She did not back down from a fight when Minnesotans' rights were on the line. She was relentless in her belief that good governance must serve the people—especially those too often ignored or underestimated. She was a mother, a lawyer, a leader, and a fierce defender of democracy.
Today, we mourn a giant among public servants and a beloved member of our extended movement family.
We must speak aloud what should never need saying:
Violence is not activism. Violence is not justice. Violence is the silencing of the voices that make our communities more fair and more free.
Let us be louder in her name. Let us protect what she built. And let us honor Speaker Hortman's legacy by fighting for a Minnesota where democracy is strong, dissent is safe, and every voice can rise without fear.
We hold Senator Hoffman and his family in our hearts and demand that every resource be devoted to their safety and recovery. We stand with them, with our partners in government, and with every Minnesotan who refuses to be intimidated by hate and violence.
May her memory be a blessing and a charge to us all.
Contact:
Pro-Choice Minnesota
Prochoiceminnesota.org
info@prochoiceminnesota.org