Minnesota honors Hortmans at the Capitol

Elected officials and the public paid their respects to Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert, in the Capitol Rotunda Friday.

Hortman is the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans to lie in state. 

The Hortmans were fatally shot in their home June 14. Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and his wife, Yvette, were also shot in their home in a related attack.

Hortman won election to the House of Representatives in 2004 after losing in her first two attempts.

Thousands of people queued outside the Capitol to pay their respects to Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert, as they lie in state in the Rotunda June 27. (Photo by Michele Jokinen)

She became the House DFL leader in 2017, then rose to the speaker's position when the DFL took the majority in 2019. She led the chamber through the COVID-19 pandemic and the DFL’s “trifecta” with Gov. Tim Walz and the DFL’s majority in the Senate, when the caucus passed its priority slate of bills that included codifying abortion rights, allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s license and legalizing marijuana.

When voters elected a tied House in 2024, the House DFL selected Hortman as speaker-designate. She became speaker emerita as part of the power-sharing agreement brokered with Republicans to jointly operate the chamber with the tie.

A private funeral for the Hortmans will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. A livestream will be available on the Department of Public Safety’s YouTube channel.