Melissa Hortman remembered for leadership, legislation as House speaker

For the first time in two decades, a legislative session began without Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman.

This weighed heavy on legislators Tuesday, who marked the start of the 2026 session with a day of remembrance for Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert.

The three were killed in a targeted attack last June. The attacker also shot Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and his wife Yvette, but they survived.

“You have all been through such tremendous personal loss and grief over these past few months, coupled with carrying the weight of what Minnesota has been through on your shoulders,” former Rep. Liz Olson, who offered the Opening Day prayer, said after the House was gaveled in. “Now you start the session with hope and possibility, too. So much to hold, but you do not hold it alone.”

Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman was remembered in a ceremony on the first day of the 2026 legislative session Tuesday. (House Photography file photo)

Olson prayed the prayer of St. Francis, a prayer she said Hortman always carried with her in her purse.

A resolution that recognized many of the late speaker’s legislative accomplishments, along with memories of her family’s love, empathy and passion for baking and the outdoors was read by House and Senate members.

Many described Melissa Hortman as “the most consequential speaker in House history,” said House DFL Caucus Leader Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids).

During her 20-year-long tenure in the House, Hortman championed dozens of historic laws.

“Think about a child born in 2026. That child may never know Melissa Hortman’s name, but Melissa Hortman will shape her life,” Stephenson said. “Her parents will have paid family medical leave. She will be less likely to grow up in poverty because of the child tax credit. She will eat breakfast and lunch at school, no questions asked. College will be more affordable.”

Rep. Kristin Robbins pauses at the desk of late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman before the start of session Feb. 17. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

Many spoke about Hortman’s shared respect for all people regardless of disagreement.

This part of Hortman’s legacy will outlast any session or political moment, said House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring). When Demuth first became House minority leader, Hortman reached out and asked for a weekly meeting.

“She didn’t have to do that,” Demuth said. “Melissa’s brand of leadership brought people in instead of pushing people out.”

Gov. Tim Walz spoke to Hortman’s commitment to the House as an institution. He said Hortman made many House accomplishments possible. In particular, he credits her for working across the aisle to pass a budget in a divided Legislature in 2019 and 2025.

“I don’t think it was any secret we were partners and she was my security blanket. But I think it’s important in this space to say we were partners, but we had very different jobs,” Walz said, noting that Hortman represented the entire legislative body when negotiating with him.

Hortman rarely had a harsh word to say to people, Walz remembered.

“She reserved it for those times that we earned it, myself included,” he said.

Walz misses Hortman every day.

“I miss the wisdom that she brought, the humor, the decency,” he said. 

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) spoke of the day the Hortmans were killed as a turning point.

“That day was the start of the longest summer and the hardest winter,” she said, reflecting on the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and the two people killed during federal immigration actions in the Twin Cities.

“We return here together, altered, terrorized, fearful, but determined,” Murphy said. “That’s what courage is for. As I look around — as I look at all of us — what I see is the courage to continue to work for the people of Minnesota.”

As members and other dignitaries exited the House Chamber, each placed a rose on Hortman’s desk, a seat that will remain a memorial this session.