Melissa Hortman’s legacy of courage and service

Editor’s note: This commentary was written by state Rep. Alex Falconer (DFL–49A, Eden Prairie), first elected in November 2024 and sworn in on Jan. 14, 2025. He represents House District 49A, which includes northern Eden Prairie and southern Minnetonka.

This is not what I wanted to write about for my first letter to the editor as your state representative. It has taken me 10 days of grieving with my colleagues, friends and family where I could bring myself to put my thoughts on paper. 

The political assassination of Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert, along with the attempted murder of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in front of their daughter, shocked the nation and devastated Minnesotans. As we continue to learn more about the deranged individual responsible, including his planned visits to the homes of other elected officials, we are still reckoning with the magnitude of his horrific intent.

During the largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history, none of us knew whether he had acted alone. Lawmakers were told to shelter in place. Police cruisers lined our streets, squad cars idled in front of our homes, and news headlines poured in. All an oppressive reminder that my friend, my colleague, and my mentor had been brutally murdered in her home that morning. And even as we tried to process the unthinkable, we saw the political fringes spin off conspiracy theories in a gross attempt to gain political traction. These lies only deepened the pain and widened the divide, at a time when we needed unity and a shared condemnation of political violence.

Advertisement

Melissa Hortman was the most dedicated public servant I’ve known in my 20 years of political work. She was elected the same year I was interning at DFL headquarters. By the time I had my first job with the party in 2005, she was already in her first session and she was already out recruiting new candidates by summer. I first saw her knocking on doors in my region in 2006. That’s when I met the indomitable Melissa Hortman.

Like many political relationships, we were on again, off again – mostly reconnecting during campaign cycles when we’d cross paths at events. I was Team R.T. Rybak. She was Team Margaret Anderson Kelliher. (We both eventually found our candidates losing – and of course, we supported Mark Dayton for governor.) We were friendly rivals at DFL conventions across the metro. We’d bump into each other on the doors, in union halls, and at rallies. Later, when I was advocating for Boundary Waters protections, I’d find myself in her office. She always remembered me, chatting about my kids, my work, and our shared love of golden retrievers. She could be intimidating, but she was also personal and thoughtful in a way that made her a remarkable leader. 

Her story, in so many ways, has already been eulogized – from her meteoric rise to caucus leadership and Minnesota House Speaker to the extraordinary accomplishments of the 2023-2024 session, which advanced some of the most progressive, working people and family-focused policies in our state’s history. She infused everything with the “LFG” spirit we all came to know and love. I only had the chance to serve alongside her in the legislature for six months, but I soaked up every moment.

This last year was perhaps her most difficult as our leader. When the GOP’s illegitimate power grab stalled government operations, Melissa kept our caucus grounded. When the impasse refused to break, she stepped down as Speaker, selflessly surrendering her position and power so the government could function again. She never lost sight of what mattered: protecting the people of Minnesota. Because of her leadership, we protected women’s right to choose. We stopped the rollback of PFAS protections for clean water. We saved solar gardens. We protected workers’ rights and paid family leave. Billionaires didn’t get to rewrite our tax policy. And yes, even Boundary Waters protections held firm.

Advertisement

Melissa’s final act of leadership came during the first vote of the special session. Republicans demanded an end to MinnesotaCare for our undocumented neighbors. No matter where you stand on the policy, it was a devastating concession for our entire caucus, one we had to make to pass a state budget. It’s a painful truth that governing often requires choosing the path that causes the least harm. As a result of the vote, our undocumented neighbors would lose access to everything from preventative check ups to cancer treatments, but more people would have been harmed if the state’s government shut down, cutting off essential services for everyone.

Melissa made the hardest choice. She organized the deal. She cast the lone DFL vote to pass that bill so the rest of us could vote our conscience – and so the full budget could pass. That vote allowed our caucus to speak our truth for almost four hours during floor debate. It let the full body finish its work. It saved Minnesotans from a government shutdown.

On her last day on the House floor, Melissa Hortman led the way she always had: with the courage to do what needed to be done, the conviction to do it for the people she served, and took on that burden alone as our leader so we didn’t have to. She loved this state and believed fiercely in the work of the legislature. She fought for her values, and found room for compromise. She kept Minnesotans at the center of everything she did. She was my friend, my colleague, my mentor, and our leader.

Good parents raise good kids – and I look to the words of Melissa and Mark’s kids, Colin and Sophie, for solace, inspiration and a way forward:

“Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect.”