Biden, Harris, Waltz Mourn Melissa Hortman At Minneapolis Funeral/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. MANSOUR/ Morning Edition/ Former President Biden and VP Harris joined over 1,000 mourners at Melissa Hortman’s funeral in Minneapolis. The late Minnesota House Speaker was remembered for her legislative impact and humanity. Hortman and her husband were tragically killed in an attack by a suspect posing as a police officer.
Quick Look
- Biden, Harris attended funeral for Minnesota’s Melissa Hortman
- Hortman hailed as groundbreaking leader and skilled legislator
- Investigation continues into deadly attack that killed Hortman
Biden, Harris Honor Minnesota’s Melissa Hortman At Funeral Service
Deep Look
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined more than a thousand mourners Saturday to honor former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who was remembered as a trailblazing legislator and compassionate leader at her funeral in Minneapolis.
Hortman, a prominent Democrat who helped steer significant legislation through Minnesota’s House, was killed two weeks ago in what authorities describe as an assassination by a man posing as a police officer. The same attack also claimed the life of her husband, Mark, and left state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, seriously wounded.
“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history,” said Gov. Tim Walz, delivering a heartfelt eulogy. “I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor, and the most talented legislator I have ever known.”
Biden and Harris did not speak publicly during the service but sat in the front row alongside Walz. On Friday, Biden paid his respects at the Minnesota Capitol, where Hortman, her husband, and their golden retriever, Gilbert, lay in state. It was a historic tribute—Hortman was the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans to receive the honor, and the first time a couple and a pet were honored together. Gilbert, who was wounded in the attack, had to be euthanized.
Elected in 2004, Hortman rose to become Minnesota’s first female House speaker. She championed progressive causes including free school meals, expanded abortion and transgender rights, and other sweeping reforms. Even after stepping down as speaker under a power-sharing arrangement in a split House this year, she played a crucial role in breaking a budget impasse that threatened a government shutdown.
Walz praised Hortman’s political savvy and her ability to seek consensus without bitterness. “She knew how to get her way, no doubt about it,” he said. “But she never made anyone feel like they’d been rolled at the negotiating table.”
He urged Minnesotans to follow Hortman’s example of civility and service: “Maybe this is the moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for things we care about. A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did—fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.”
Saturday’s funeral drew dozens of state lawmakers and community leaders. The service at the Basilica of Saint Mary was led by the Rev. Daniel Griffith, with Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese among the clergy in attendance.
Meanwhile, legal proceedings continue for the man accused of carrying out the shootings. Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, made a brief court appearance Friday and is scheduled to return Thursday. Prosecutors have yet to secure a grand jury indictment, and Boelter has not entered a plea. His attorneys have declined to comment. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attacks, though friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with conservative political views.
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