Following the horrific and targeted attacks last weekend that claimed the lives of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and left Senator John Hoffman and his wife seriously injured, Representative Duane Quam (R-Byron) issued the following statement:
"It’s tragic and hard to take. My last interaction with Melissa Hortman was after I sent her a note to hang in there, that members appreciate her hard work, and I shared a treat. We had served together for many terms and on a few committees over the years. It was just a couple of legislators happy to be getting a tough job done. She was respected by everyone at the Capitol as a good person, an advocate for her values, and for her caucus. Few legislators have had such a large impact on the State of Minnesota. It’s hard to take her loss; her family and friends are in my prayers.
My prayers are also with Senator Hoffman and his wife as they recover from this horrific attack. I’ve been in several joint committee hearings with him and had good conversations about how to improve healthcare for the people of our state. It’s nice to work with legislators focused on serving the people instead of sound bites.
I condemn this attack in the strongest possible way. There should never be such violence like this that took Melissa and Mark from us. I call on every Minnesotan to reject it, and all violence, that burns down civilized society. Political violence is abhorrent and unacceptable, and my prayers are with the men and women in law enforcement who are working to stop such evil and who brought the perpetrator to justice."