After a recent deadly attack by a gunman at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their beloved Golden Retriever, Gilbert, will all lie in state today (Friday) at the Minnesota Capitol building.
The office of Governor Tim Walz said that Melissa Hortman will be the first woman ever to lie in state at the Capitol. Fewer than 20 Minnesotans overall have been given the honor.
This week in Washington, Democrats and Republicans from Minnesota stood together to pay tribute to the Hortmans on the floor of the U-S House of Representatives.
6th District Congressman Tom Emmer of Delano said political violence has to stop…
“There is no place in our country for politically motivated violence. None. The fact that the Hortman and Hoffman families are being forced to endure the consequences of inexplicable evil is heartbreaking, devastating and infuriating for us all.”
Emmer went on to say that tragedies like this remind us that we are stronger together. He stated, “There’s more that unites us than divides us.”
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said on the House floor this week that there is absolutely no place in our communities for this kind of cruelty…
“We must settle our differences with civility and grace. We owe this promise to Melissa, Mark and the Hoffmans who also suffered at the hands of this violence, and our future generations.”
Omar said it was an honor to serve alongside her in the state legislature where Hortman taught her how to lead with passion and integrity.
