A solemn silence fell over the Basilica of Saint Mary on Saturday as more than 1,000 mourners including former US President Joe Biden , Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, gathered to honor Melissa Hortman , the trailblazing former Minnesota house speaker .
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed two weeks ago by a man impersonating a police officer in what federal prosecutors describe as a politically motivated attack. The shooting also left state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, seriously wounded. The couple’s golden retriever, Gilbert, was also injured and later euthanized.
Biden and Harris sat in the front row with Governor Tim Walz, who was Harris’s 2024 running mate.
“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history,” Walz said in his eulogy. “I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor, and the most talented legislator I have ever known.”
Walz praised Hortman’s ability to lead without dominating — a lawmaker known for her conviction, not combativeness. “She knew how to get her way,” he said. “But she never made anyone feel they’d been steamrolled. She didn’t need someone else to lose for her to win.”
The day before the service, more than 7,500 people filed through the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul, where the bodies of Hortman, her husband, and Gilbert lay in state — a rare honor in Minnesota. Biden also visited Hoffman at the hospital.
First elected in 2004, Hortman rose to become a central architect of Minnesota’s liberal policy agenda. As House speaker, she led a sweeping 2023 session that delivered free school meals, expanded abortion access, and strengthened protections for transgender rights. This year, with the House evenly split, she stepped aside as speaker under a power-sharing agreement but remained a key figure in budget negotiations.
The service drew current and former lawmakers from both parties, underscoring the respect Hortman commanded across the aisle.
The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter of Green Isle, remains in custody following what officials called the largest manhunt in state history. He has not entered a plea and is due back in court Thursday. Prosecutors have not publicly discussed a motive but are pursuing federal charges that could carry the death penalty.
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed two weeks ago by a man impersonating a police officer in what federal prosecutors describe as a politically motivated attack. The shooting also left state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, seriously wounded. The couple’s golden retriever, Gilbert, was also injured and later euthanized.
Biden and Harris sat in the front row with Governor Tim Walz, who was Harris’s 2024 running mate.
“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history,” Walz said in his eulogy. “I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor, and the most talented legislator I have ever known.”
Walz praised Hortman’s ability to lead without dominating — a lawmaker known for her conviction, not combativeness. “She knew how to get her way,” he said. “But she never made anyone feel they’d been steamrolled. She didn’t need someone else to lose for her to win.”
The day before the service, more than 7,500 people filed through the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul, where the bodies of Hortman, her husband, and Gilbert lay in state — a rare honor in Minnesota. Biden also visited Hoffman at the hospital.
First elected in 2004, Hortman rose to become a central architect of Minnesota’s liberal policy agenda. As House speaker, she led a sweeping 2023 session that delivered free school meals, expanded abortion access, and strengthened protections for transgender rights. This year, with the House evenly split, she stepped aside as speaker under a power-sharing agreement but remained a key figure in budget negotiations.
The service drew current and former lawmakers from both parties, underscoring the respect Hortman commanded across the aisle.
The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter of Green Isle, remains in custody following what officials called the largest manhunt in state history. He has not entered a plea and is due back in court Thursday. Prosecutors have not publicly discussed a motive but are pursuing federal charges that could carry the death penalty.
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