A private funeral Mass for Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman was held at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis on Saturday.
In delivering his eulogy after the Mass, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz honored the Hortmans and referred to them as “incredible people.”
“Colin and Sophie, I can’t imagine what it’s been like. The grace and courage that these two young people have shown through this awful time has made it easier for the entire state and nation. It’s easy to see why your parents never stopped bragging about you,” Walz said, addressing the Hortman children.
Melissa Hortman, Walz said, “will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.”
“Melissa was an extraordinary legislator and Mark was her proudest supporter. He was there in her early electoral defeats to the height of her power as speaker. But it’s easy sometimes to forget, for all its significance, politics is just people,” Walz said.
“Melissa understood that better than anybody I knew,” he continued. “She saw the humanity in every single person she worked with, and she kept things focused on the people she served.”
Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris also attended the funeral, along with countless elected officials from across the political spectrum.
The funeral followed a somber day of mourning and honor at the Minnesota Capitol, as Melissa Hortman tragically became the first woman to lie in state in Minnesota. More than 7,500 people visited the Capitol to pay their respects.
Hortman led the House Democrats as minority leader from 2017 to 2019 and as speaker from 2019 to 2025. She was first elected to the chamber in 2004.
The Hortmans were murdered in their home in Brooklyn Park on June 14.
Suspected political assassin Vance Boelter has since been arrested and charged in state and federal courts. Boelter has also been charged in the shootings of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home in Champlin.
Boelter was captured the day after the shootings in Sibley County after a statewide manhunt—the largest in Minnesota history. Security camera video recordings obtained by Alpha News show some of Boelter’s actions just before and after the shootings occurred.
The funeral was streamed live online by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and can be watched below:
