U.S. House approves resolution denouncing Minnesota shootings, political violence

The U.S. House unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday condemning the June 14 attacks on former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were killed by a gunman, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who were wounded.

The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Morrison, who represents Minnesota’s 3rd District – which includes Brooklyn Park, where the Hortmans lived – also condemned political violence. Each of the seven other members of Minnesota’s bipartisan U.S. House delegation co-sponsored the legislation and spoke in support on the House floor this week.

No House member spoke against the resolution during brief floor debate Tuesday. It passed 424-0 Wednesday, with eight members not voting.

Morrison, a Democrat, urged her colleagues to view the attacks as a “wake-up call” to tone down violent political rhetoric.

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“The escalation and normalization of violent rhetoric and political violence have gone way too far, and we as elected representatives have to take the lead and be the first to speak out and to start to model a better path forward,” Morrison said. “Let’s make this the moment where we unequivocally condemn and commit to ending violent rhetoric, full stop. We have to make this horrific act of targeted political violence a watershed moment for our country.”

Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican, said by targeting elected officials, the gunman attacked democracy.

“Make no mistake: This was not just an attack on the Hortman, Hoffman families,” Stauber said Tuesday. “This was an attack on the state of Minnesota and our shared ideals as Americans. Political violence such as this threatens the very fabric of our constitutional republic and can never be ignored or met without condemnation.”

June 14 shootings

Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed in the early morning of June 14 by a man impersonating a police officer.

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The suspected killer, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, arrived at the Hortman home after shooting John and Yvette Hoffman in their home and visiting the homes of two other Democratic lawmakers, according to police, who also said they found a list of other elected officials in Boelter’s car.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz described the attack as “a politically motivated assassination.”

Police captured Boelter on June 15 after a nearly two-day search. He faces state and federal murder charges.

Melissa and Mark Hortman and their golden retriever, Gilbert, who also died after being shot in the attack, will lie in state at the Minnesota Capitol on Friday.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican who was shot in a targeted attack during a baseball practice eight years prior, also spoke in favor of the resolution Tuesday.

“As someone who’s experienced political violence firsthand, this brings back a lot of emotions,” Scalise said. “The man who shot me on the ballfield that day also had a list of lawmakers. I’m grateful for the actions of the brave law enforcement officers who ran towards the danger and saved lives on the ballfield that day and saved, undoubtedly, many lives in Minnesota on that day just a few days ago.”

Editor’s note: This story was written by Jacob Fischler and first appeared in the Minnesota Reformer on June 25. Fischler is deputy Washington bureau chief for States Newsroom and covers federal policy, with a focus on Western issues, climate, public lands, and infrastructure. He is based in Oregon.

The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and uncovering stories other outlets can’t or won’t report. It is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity.