Melissa Hortman was a teenager who once worked in creating brithos.
Melissa Hortman’Her power as a Democratic leader shaping the Minnesota Capitol and the deeply divided Congressional course is far from her job as a teenager making Tilli cheese burritos, obscuring the volunteer work training service dog for veterans.
She was a lifelong Minneapolis area resident, going to college in Boston and then returned to law school, where she was in a level freshness and worked as a volunteer lawyer for a group fighting housing discrimination. Elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, she helped pass liberal initiatives such as free lunches for shy students as a bureaucratic speaker in 2023. This year, she helped break a budget impasse that threatened to shut down state governments as the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans.
Compliments from friends and colleagues of both parties poured after Hortman and her husband wereI was shotA home in Brooklyn Park in the suburbs that authorities called an act of political violence targeted earlier Saturday. Posted to support PAWS training service dogsmessageOn her Facebook page, she is a friendly golden retriever trained to be a service dog and adopted by her family, along with a 2022 photo of a smiling Hortman with arms around Gilbert.
“Melissa Hortman was a woman I hope everyone in the country knows,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a longtime friend and Democratic ally, said Sunday on ABC’s “this week.”
Klobuchar added: “She was a true leader and loved her work, but she was always very grounded and decent. I think that’s probably the best word to describe her. You look at her photos and know what she is.”
The shooting followed a big democratic dinner
Earlier on Saturday, the murder of Hortman and her husband followed the shooting and injuries of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at a home in Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb. Hoffman is the chairman of the Senate committee, which oversees personnel spending. Ne was posted on Facebook on Sunday, and Hoffman had no surgery and recovered from multiple gunshot wounds.
Hortmans, Hoffmans and other top Democrats gathered at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Friday night to meet up for the party’s annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner. It is named after two Minnesota liberal icons who served as both US senators and vice presidents.Hubert HumphreyandWalter Mondale.
Minnesota Democrat and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said they saw both lawmakers at dinner.
“So, because we’re all very good friends. Of course, it happened right after we all got together, so it’s really good friends,” Smith told CNN’s “Inside Politics Sunday.”
Outside the state capitol in St. Paul, the memorial to Hortman and her husband contained flowers, candles, a small American flag and a photo of a couple. Visitors left a message in a post-it note celebrating Hortman’s legislative work, including “You’ve changed countless lives.”
Hortman provided a key vote for budget deals Democrats disliked
A legislative colleague described Hortman as interesting, familiar and passionately committed to the causes of liberalism. When lawmakers called out to the Democrats in January with vacant seats in their home, Hortmann saidBoycotting daily sessionsOver three weeks to force Republicans into power-sharing arrangements.
This year, Republicans ended the state health insurance for adult immigrants who illegally entered the United States in 2023, and were approved in 2023.Sweeping Liberal Program. Democrats wanted to keep it up, so lawmakers began June, the last month of the 2025 budget year without passing the blueprint for 2026-27 spending.
Hortman helped negotiate a package that includes a bill to end state health coverage for adult immigrants on January 1, 2026.It had to pass through the chamber.
She later told reporters that Republicans advocated the bill, with Minnesota voters expecting the parties to compromise on voters who have evenly divided partisan divisions in the House. However, she admitted she was worried about people losing their health insurance.
“I know people will be hurt by that vote,” she said. “We worked so hard to get a budget transaction that didn’t include that provision.”
Tacos, auto parts, physics, and human habitat
Hortman’s earliest work did not suggest that she would be a force in Minnesota politics. The oldest job listed by her LinkedInThe .com profile was like a chef and cashier in a restaurant when she was 16 years old. They made tacos there and “most importantly, the chili cheese burrito.” She also works at a caterer and is a runner at an auto parts store, clearing up stock and getting items for customers.
Her husband, Mark, received a degree in physics from the University of North Carolina and later earned a Masters degree in Business Administration. He was the Chief Operating Officer ofAutomotive Parts Company10 years have passed since co-founding a business consulting company. He was actively involved in helping out with PAWS and worked with non-profit Habitat for Humanity.
Melissa Hortman received a degree in philosophy and political science from Boston University, where she worked as a resident assistant in one of her dorms. She received her law degree from the University of Minnesota, but also received her master’s degree in government from Harvard University.
She served for 10 years on the board of directors of a local nonprofit, providing transportation and car repairs to low-income residents. She was also part of the committee in 2005 considering whether Minneapolis should submit a bid to host the summer. Olympic.
“Melissa remembers her kindness, compassion and her unwavering commitment to making the world better,” Paws said in a Facebook message.
This story was originally introduced Fortune.com