On Friday night, Sen. Amy Klobuchar was having dinner in her home state at an event with Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives who served as a lawmaker for almost 20 years.
Hours later, she was mourning the loss of a friend whom the Democratic senator had known for decades.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Klobuchar at 5 a.m. Saturday to deliver the gut-wrenching news, Klobuchar told POLITICO in an interview.
“I wish everyone had known her like we knew her,” Klobuchar said. “I was there when she was doorknocking in the beginning. … I was in county office and she was seeking the legislative office.”
Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, home early Saturday, in what authorities are saying was a politically motivated killing. The same suspect is believed to have also shot and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. Authorities are continuing to search for the suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter.
In the early 2000s, Klobuchar recalled, Hortman was balancing not only serving as an elected official, but also leading a girl scout troop and teaching Sunday school at a local Catholic church. “That ability to manage with two kids led her to do a really good job managing legislators,” Klobuchar said.
When Hortman was first elected in 2004 to Minnesota’s House of Representatives, Klobuchar was five years into her role as County Attorney of Hennepin County — both on the outskirts of Minneapolis.
“She was pretty no nonsense,” the senator said. “But in a kind way, with a lot of humor.”
Klobuchar mentioned one detail that particularly stood out to her: On her third day as speaker, Hortman turned off the mute button her predecessor used to prevent legislators from speaking — she didn’t need it.
“She’s like ‘I don’t need that. I can use the gavel,’” Klobuchar said. “She was just such a skilled legislator at bringing people together.”
Hortman’s killing only adds on to the growing amount of political violence and harsh rhetoric encapsulating American politics. “There have been more and more people in politics who just throw gas on the fire,” Klobuchar said of the increase in divisive politics.
But these acts shouldn’t dissuade people from seeking office, the senator said. “We need more good people to run,” she said. “I hope good people still run or our democracy won’t stand.”