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The political assassination of Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark on June 14 devastated her colleagues, constituents, and even those who simply knew her reputation as someone who "valued all Minnesotans," as an individual in our Grand Rapids discussion put it. She was a Girl Scout who grew up working in her family's used auto parts business and became a Catholic school teacher. With her blue-collar background came a strong set of values for being fair-minded and principled.

She was infamous for the "Sorry, not sorry" quip after Republicans asked her to apologize for scolding colleagues for "the 100 percent white male card game in the retiring room. ... I'm really tired of watching women of color, in particular, being ignored."

At a recent forum hosted by Twin Cities NonViolent, former senator Patricia Torres Ray pointed out: "There was one specific thing that resonated with a lot of people about Melissa, and that was her ability to elevate women and to give women of color the opportunity to lead important issues. That was not popular. It was difficult for her to go to members who had a lot of seniority, who were mostly white men, to say, 'we're going to change the dynamic because leadership needs to reflect this state.' She made that choice, and was able to accomplish a lot because she designed a leadership strategy that actually worked. ... We have to remember what she did in order to get leadership to where we are."

We asked Nausheena Hussain of Brooklyn Park -- whose Nissa Consulting firm provides capacity-building services to Muslim women-led nonprofits -- to share thoughts on the power that Rep. Hortman had.

Nausheena Hussain Reflects
In 2016, I was just getting started on my civic engagement journey when I decided to caucus for the first time. That's when I first saw Representative Melissa Hortman. She showed up to greet all of us, thanking each person for participating.

After I was elected a delegate at the caucus, I nervously moved on to the Senate District convention. Rep. Hortman approached me, extended her hand with that genuine smile, and congratulated me on becoming a 2016 Bush Fellow.

In that moment, she made me feel seen and valued -- not just as a constituent, but as a fellow Minnesotan working to make our community better.

That handshake revealed everything about Rep. Hortman. Over the years, I would meet her regularly at the Capitol's Muslim Day and at Muslim and Jewish Women Day, where we advocated for menstrual equity, safer gun laws, and anti-hate bills. Rep. Hortman always welcomed Muslim women into her office and truly listened to us, ensuring our community felt included in the legislative process.

As house speaker from 2019 to 2024, she championed progressive policies including investments in children and families, reproductive and gender-affirming care protections, paid family leave, and free school meals. These policies reflected her belief that the government should work for working families.

On September 16 this year, I cast my vote in the special election for her empty seat; the experience was deeply emotional. We didn't have much time to grieve before the conversation turned to this election. It felt so transactional. And yet I know that's exactly what she would want: her seat filled quickly by someone from her party, so we wouldn't lose the power to continue her work.

The tragedy of June 14, 2025, robbed us of a leader, her supportive husband, and their dog -- embodiments of the best of public service. But Rep. Hortman's true legacy isn't just in the legislation she passed. It is in the countless people like me whom she encouraged to stay engaged, with the shared belief that our individual contributions matter.

As we move forward, I see her influence through my new lens as a doctoral student in philanthropic leadership. Testimony is voting for candidates who will pass equitable policies. It is our way of giving back to society and working toward the common good. Melissa understood this.

When I voted on September 16, I thought of that first handshake and congratulatory message from 2016. I voted to honor someone who also exemplifies the message that every voice matters. In a time when political violence seeks to silence public servants, our best response is to follow Melissa's example: show up, participate, and treat each other with dignity.

Rest in peace, Melissa, Mark, and Gilbert Hortman. Your legacy lives on in every person you inspired to believe in democratic participation.

Keep participating in democracy through acts of philanthropy, greeting newcomers, and helping everyone find their place in building a better Minnesota.

In Her Words and Her Votes
Melissa Hortman was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2005, and became house speaker in 2019. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1995, and a master of public administration from Harvard in 2018.

Her start in politics began in an internship with U.S. Senator Al Gore. From 1997 to 2000, she ran her own law practice, specializing in housing law and consumer rights.

Hortman made protecting abortion rights a priority as speaker, saying, "as quickly as possible we put into statute a protection for Minnesotans' reproductive freedoms and their bodily autonomy and their right to make their own health care decisions."

At the end of the 2024 session, Hortman said, "The most rewarding piece of legislation we passed -- for me -- is paid family and medical leave."

According to a Ballotpedia synopsis, Hortman said she prioritized legislation that protected democracy, including voting pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, and tougher penalties on intimidating election workers or interfering with elections.

Hortman supported increasing investments in early childhood education. She told MinnPost,

"I have no desire for us to be a predominantly suburban- and city-based party. I'm used to being part of a party organization that's a whole state party and I'm committed to keeping it that way and representing agricultural regions and the Iron Range, in addition to the cities and suburbs."

Hortman led one of the more ambitious legislative sessions in decades in 2023, when the Democratic-led House codified abortion rights; restored voting rights to people no longer incarcerated; allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers' licenses; enacted the red flag law to take guns from people deemed dangerous; passed a significant pro-worker agenda that includes paid sick leave; raised workplace safety standards at meatpacking plants and warehouses; mandated carbon-free electricity by 2040; fully legalized marijuana; and made Minnesota a sanctuary state for trans people.