A Minnesota state representative and her husband were killed early Saturday, and a state senator and his wife were injured.
The lawmakers who were shot on Saturday morning in Minnesota were State Representative Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the House, and State Senator John A. Hoffman, a fellow Democrat and longtime lawmaker.
Ms. Hortman, who was assassinated at her home in Brooklyn Park, Minn., was a lawyer by training and a legislator for about 20 years who served as the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025. She represented a reliably Democratic district and routinely won re-election by more than 20 percentage points.
She played a key role in passing a trove of bills during the 2023 session, when Democrats held a slim majority in the Legislature, including legislation that expanded abortion rights, legalized recreational marijuana and required employers to offer paid family and medical leave.
This year, under Ms. Hortman’s leadership, Democrats in the House boycotted the early weeks of the legislative session amid a fight for control of the chamber. Voters last year left Democrats and Republicans with an equal number of seats in the House, but challenges to two of the elections won by Democrats created a period of uncertainty around which party would control the chamber.
When those challenges were settled, Ms. Hortman agreed to let the top Republican in the House, Representative Lisa Demuth, serve as speaker.
Colleagues have long praised Ms. Hortman’s work ethic, negotiation skills and pragmatism.
Jerry Gale, Ms. Hortman’s campaign manager, said in an interview that she was a tireless campaigner who was passionate about recruiting fellow Democrats to run for office.
