Politics Friday: First week of session opens with Hortman tribute, focus on tragic events

This is Politics Friday on NPR News. I'm Brian Baxt. This week marked the first time Minnesota lawmakers were back in the Capitol for a legislative session since a tragic summer hit home for them. A towering figure, DFL Representative Melissa Hortman, assassinated. Another Democratic stalwart, State Senator John Hoffman, wounded by gunfire the same June night. Their spouses also shot, fatally for Mark Hortman. The collective institutional grieving and healing played out on day one of the 2026 session. I miss my friend every day. I miss the wisdom that she brought, the humor, the decency. We didn't always see eye to eye, but we always saw each other. And that mattered deeply and it still does. I believe the finest memorial to Melissa is to embody her spirit and her purpose. Melissa loved trees. And as speaker, she sprinkled money throughout many different budgets for tree planting. There are whole forests of trees in Minnesota because of Melissa Hortman. We don't want to breeze past this important moment, which highlighted the spread of political violence and the risks of unchecked rhetoric. So we'll treat this show a bit differently than normal. This hour, you'll hear how week one went. It might be tough for some to revisit. There will be plenty of time in future shows to dissect the key issues facing the legislature and more generally, the state. We also want you to hear from Colin Hortman about how he's grappled with a range of emotions and his search for purpose out of the unthinkable death of his parents. That's later this hour. Colin Hortman was in the House Gallery with other Hortman family members as the session got off to a somber start. Prayer by the chaplain. You have all been through such tremendous personal loss and grief over these last few months, coupled with carrying the weight of what Minnesota has been through on your shoulders. Now you start the session with hope and possibility too. So much to hold, but you do not go alone. Our prayer for today will be the prayer of St. Francis, the prayer that Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman kept in her purse. Let us pray. As the 134 state representatives walked in, they filed past a desk cordoned off. A vase of fresh roses, a gavel, a framed picture of Melissa Hortman. The back row desk belonged to Hortman, a former House speaker and longtime DFL caucus leader, through last June. On each lawmaker desk, a single rose. On some, a bouquet. If you are at a desk in the chamber with an iris bouquet, that is a desk in which Melissa sat during her time in the legislature. The bouquet of flowers in the gallery commemorates the seat where Mark Hortman sat when Melissa was first elected Speaker in 2019. All desks and seats in the chamber have a rose. We will be placing those roses at Speaker Emerita Hortman's desk as we leave the chamber today. This day was bound to be heavy and filled with ceremony. As we remain standing, please join me in welcoming Girl Scout Troops 18788, 18826, and 19017 from Champlin, Maple Grove, and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, who will lead us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the public, the public, the state, one nation, one by God. Over in the Senate, reason for cheers, smiles, a standing ovation. Senator John Hoffman made his way up the long stairway toward the Senate chamber and through those giant sliding doors. A hero's welcome as he walked in. Man, it is really good to be back in this chamber with all of you. Hoffman's presence defied the odds. Hours before Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed, a man impersonating a police officer pounded at the door at the Hoffman home. A flurry of bullets hit John and Yvette Hoffman. He was shot nine times. Both survived, although their physical and emotional recovery is ongoing. What defines us is courage. Our daughter Hope, while Yvette and I lay wounded on the ground, on the floor, she called 911 and she spoke calmly. She provided clear, critical information. Mr. President, there's no doubt in my mind that her composure that evening saved lives, including mine, and protected many people in this chamber. Hope your strength humbles me. My family carried us when we could not carry ourselves. and with that I return grounded in gratitude Mr. President. I'm grateful for the neighbors, faith leaders, advocates. Members let's rise above the noise and let us govern with humility and let us prove through our actions not just words that democracy is stronger than fear. Mr. President I thank you and it feels really good to be back here. It is also truly wonderful to see Senator Hoffman back with us, healthy and ready to get to work again. The prayers of so many were with you, John, and with Yvette and Hope and the family. A special word of gratitude to Hope. As John pointed out, the strength and the clarity in a moment of crisis set in motion the response that protected many lives. It is nothing short of a miracle that you are here with us again. But the word miracle belies what we can only imagine, the pain, the suffering, and the incredible determination undertaken to recover from the injuries you and your family, Yvette and Hoffman, have endured. In the months since the horrific morning of June 14th, Senator Hoffman, You have written with clarity of your intention and purpose to lead with decency, with dignity, and with compassion for the people of Minnesota. A purpose to which you have just so beautifully spoken upon your return to this chamber. If Hoffman's return gives voice to warnings about extreme partisan conduct, Hortman's absence speaks just as loudly about risks of ignoring that caution. Hoffman was toward the front of the line as senators made their way over to the House for a tribute to the Hortmans. Members and guests, please rise as a service dog from Helping Paws, the Honor Guard with Colors, and the Minnesota Sovereign Tribal Nations Honor Guard make their way through the chamber. We will now read a joint House and Senate resolution in recognition of Melissa, Mark, and Gilbert, beginning with Representative Long. a joint resolution honoring the lives and service of Melissa and Mark Hortman. Whereas Melissa Hortman served for 20 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Whereas Mark Hortman was a devoted and loving husband and father, outgoing and genuine, a highly skilled professional. Whereas Gilbert Hortman had an infectious energy and love of people that led him to change his career path from aspiring service animal to beloved Hortman family dog and Melissa's greatest love outside of her family. Whereas Melissa and Mark and Gilbert were tragically taken from their family, friends, colleagues, and the entire state of Minnesota. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the state of Minnesota that they honor and remember the incredible lives, legacies, and service of Melissa, Mark, and Gilbert Hortman. Hoffman took a seat near the front of the House chamber. Governor Tim Walz gave him a bear hug. Then the governor offered the first words of reflection about the Hortmans. For all of us, for me, first time being back in this space, since I have had the privilege of serving in state government. It's the first time without Melissa, the speaker. And I don't think it was any secret that we were partners and she was a security blanket. But I think it's important in this... He talked about Melissa Hortman as a partner, a mentor, a powerful advocate for her separate but equal branch of government. And she often reminded me, each and every one of the people who sit in front of you have their own election certificate, and that matters. And I think for many of you who know, it was very rare to find Melissa Hortman having a harsh word about anybody. But she did it, and she reserved it for those times when we earned it, myself included. Walls read from a note that Hortman put inside the cover of a book about negotiating that she gave to the governor and a Senate counterpart in 2019, a period of divided government in Minnesota. I have not shared this with anyone, but I do think it's important. Dear Governor Walz, I'm looking forward to our work in the coming weeks to finalize a budget that gives Minnesotans the quality of public services they deserve. I also do believe that you, Senate Majority Leader Gazelka, and I can do this differently than it's been done in recent years in Minnesota and certainly in Washington, D.C. Governing is very different from campaigning. We'll take the fight to our opponents in 2020 elections, but in the meantime, we need to find win-wins together and the humanity in each other. Thanks for doing what you're doing. I look forward to our deliberations. always Melissa. Speaker Lisa Dameth, a Republican who navigated Minnesota's tied house with Hortman last year, described the example her contemporary set. She was a real leader who could keep her caucus together despite the divisions at times. And I remember a time at the end of a particularly difficult session where I told her when this was all over and the legislature was far behind us, I wanted to sit down with her and find out how she did it. She kind of smiled in her way, gave me one tip, and the rest she didn't really share. But I have deep regret knowing that we'll never get that opportunity. She was a fearless leader. Through shared stories about our families, especially our children, through many laughs, a joint love for jalapeno Cheetos, and a need to consume more protein, and countless texts to see if we were going to be matching that day. We apparently shopped at the same places. But we built something that has become too far and too rare in politics. We built a relationship that was rooted in respect. Their final interaction is still on Damath's mind. And what she said to me in that moment will stay with me forever. She said, I like it so much better when we get along than when we fight. I like it so much better than when we get along than when we fight Melissa legacy will be remembered for what she accomplished yes But even more her legacy will be remembered for how she accomplished it With conviction, with kindness, fierce determination, and the unwavering belief that our institutions only function when we treat each other with dignity. Zach Stevenson had known Hortman since he was 17, a politically smitten high school senior hungry to get involved. Hortman gave him that chance. She lost that 2002 campaign, but Stevenson learned something in Hortman's defeat. She would try again and next time win. But make no mistake, her persistence wasn't about ambition. It was about service. Hortman's mentorship of Stevenson would go on. Now he's the leader the House DFL has turned to as her successor. She spotted talent and invested in it. She wasn't afraid to be surrounded by other leaders. She had this way of communicating to people that she had every faith and confidence in you. And when that happens, when that comes from someone you trust and respect like Melissa Hortman, it means the world. I am a better legislator, a better leader, a better human, because Melissa Hortman invested in me. And I know there are so many people in this room who feel the same way. And to all of you, I say, hang on to that. Hang on to that feeling, because she meant it. She meant it. Stevenson echoed others on the opening day, saying lawmakers should lean into the progress on tough issues, not shy from them. Put our heads down and get to work, as he put it. Then he addressed the single roses in front of all of them. And please take the rose from your desk and lay it on Speaker Emerita's desk in remembrance of what we have lost. Thank you. From there, it was downstairs to a reception. Homemade bread and cakes were served. The Hortmans both loved to bake. Melissa preferred cake, Mark freshly baked bread. The St. Paul Orchestra played. A floor down, there were therapy dogs. Gilbert, the Hortman's golden retriever, was also killed by the assailant. But Gilbert's impact, he was a service animal, endures. But to see everybody coming together, both sides, having this nonpartisan moment where we can just honor Melissa, and I love that they're keeping her desk there for the session. It's just beautiful. It's beautiful to kind of find the light in the darkness of it all. All around the capital, lawmakers shared hugs. They traded Melissa Hortman's stories. My name is Representative Hulda Mamani-Hiltzley, and I get the privilege of representing Brooklyn Park in Osceo. They shed tears, and they tried to make meaning of it all, or at least figure out what to do next. just being in this space. Because you can talk to other people about what you're going through, but this group of legislators, we've gone through it from the beginning of session when we had to boycott and follow Melissa's lead because she knew we needed to make sure that we had a great start to session. And then from there, going through everything that went through, a really difficult session, and then what happened to her, and then all the immigration. Representative Dan Wolgamott, a friend of both Mark and Melissa Hortman. It feels like a gut punch the entire day, but I know that if there's one person who would tell us to soldier on and start doing the work that needs to be done, it would be Melissa. So for the rest of the week, that's what they did. Well, good morning. I'm calling to order this meeting of the House Workforce Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee. Thank you, Chair Cleavorn and members of the committee for considering my bill today. Dozens of committee hearings convened. If production lines slow down at a food processing plant, that company is going to buy less from Minnesota's farmers. That effect ripples out. Representative Quam, we are in a roll call vote. Well, that's because the chair would not allow questions. Representative Quam? Yet. That's a no. Some major legislation is already getting examined. And even if you have not spoken up until this point, it's not too late. You can change your mind. You can change your mind about celebrating the tyranny of the federal government. And the stance that your party has taken from top to bottom, from governor walls all the way down, that there is no legitimacy to federal authority is nothing less than insurrectionist rhetoric. And that is why, that is why, take your moment, take your moment. You can change your mind about whether or not you're going to stand up against violations of the First, Second, and Fourth Amendment. That rhetoric, people like Renee Good and people like Alex Preddy put themselves in harm's way. They did what you wanted to do. Point of order, Madam Speaker, point of order, point of order. The Capitol Rotunda, filled with the usual sounds of rallies. It's a haven for hunters and anglers. They come from all across the nation to fish for smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike. People writing in, you have to protect the boundary waters. And I really think that if this body in this building can listen to the will of the people, that the will should be done. Good morning. My name is Amanda Otero. I'm a Minneapolis public schools parent. And press conferences stacked up among groups seeking the legislature's attention. Even now, despite announcements that enforcement is ending, fear has not lifted. Detentions continue, trust has not returned, and any transition back to normal life will need support from our elected leaders. That is why action is needed now. Eviction is the breaking point. The Senate paused again yesterday to honor another lawmaker who died last summer, longtime Republican state senator Bruce Anderson. His death was caused by health issues. Colleagues remembered a legislator who served more than three decades between the House and Senate. To us, he was just Bruce. Steady. humble, dependable, and always ready with that firm handshake or a quiet word of encouragement. He was truly respected by all. We could take his word to the bank. Whatever he said, you knew you could take it to the bank. And he was honorable to the core. And he lived out his Christian faith. He was not argumentative. He was not looking for attention. He was not trying to be the most popular, the loudest voice. He just was a quiet leader. And so when I think of Bruce, I think of someone who puts his teeth into something but still will smile. And I think that that's a really important remembrance of a person of a soul. Bruce Anderson, as you know, didn't speak often on the floor. But when he did, people listened. And he didn't speak long. a lesson that maybe some of us could learn. I'd like for us to have a moment of silence in honor of Senator Anderson, also as a sign of support and prayer for his family. There are many reasons to doubt much of consequence will happen this year. The House is still tied 67 to 67 among Republicans and Democrats. The Senate is tight too, with Democrats in charge by a single seat. The issues are weighty, and the approaching election could make it harder for some lawmakers to break ranks or go out on a political limb. Well, good afternoon, everybody. Governor Walz had a bit to say about that and the tumultuous times Minnesota has been through since last June. In all that's happened between the ending of that session and the start of this one, Minnesota has seen it and been through it. And I think the word I hear in there, and I'll keep coming back to it, is this is a human endeavor and we can do something about it. So look. Walls will be on the way out after this year. He ended his reelection campaign and says he's moving on from electoral politics. I actually think we're in a really unique position. I think it's an opportunity just to do the work, to figure out to compromise. I'm more than willing to compromise. The results, or lack of them, will bear out over the next few months. Lawmakers get a fresh budget update next week. They'll plow toward committee deadlines in March. The onset of spring and April usually means long days and nights of floor debates in the House and Senate. Then come May, it's decision time. The legislature's time expires on May 18th. MPR's mental health initiative, Call to Mind, is gathering stories for an upcoming report about sleep. Do you have problems sleeping, and how does it affect your mental health? Email us your story at calltomind at americanpublicmedia.org. This is Politics Friday on NPR News. I'm Brian Baxt. After multiple tries, Melissa Hortman got to the legislature in 2005. District 47B, Melissa Hortman. By then, I had five years under my belt as a Capitol reporter. I'd seen newbies come in who tried to make a splash through partisan clashes or by seeking out controversial topics. I'd seen others who didn't care much for attention at all. And others wanted to dive headlong into the nitty-gritty of policy. Melissa Hortman was in that last camp. She sponsored bills about education aid and carved out a niche as a transportation and energy policy nerd. She pushed for highway and commuter railway funding. she wanted utility customers to be told about mercury in their fluorescent lamps. In 1990, we estimated that 272 pounds were getting into the environment. Now we're estimating 15 pounds. That 15 pounds is based on the assumption that 80% of us are recycling our fluorescent light bulbs. And we know that's simply not the case. Hortman would go on to big things. She became the House DFL caucus leader in 2017. She rose to House Speaker in 2019 and remained there until a chamber tie forced a compromise in which she agreed to turn over the gavel to a Republican. Hortman still led her caucus through the tie. She helped broker a budget compromise and voted for it, even elements that her party adamantly opposed. What I worry about is the people who will lose their health insurance. I know that people will be hurt by that vote. And I'm, we worked very hard to try to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision. And we tried any other way we could to come to a budget agreement with Republicans, and they wouldn't have it. So, you know, I did what leaders do. I stepped up and I got the job done for the people of Minnesota. Her glinty smile, her blunt, occasionally profane language, her mastery of legislative strategy. all made Melissa Hortman a standout legislator in my time covering Minnesota politics. This week, when Colin Hortman came to NPR headquarters for an interview, his first since the violent, untimely death of his parents, I shared some of my observations about his mom. He smiled and said it sounded like her. My colleague, Morning Edition host Kathy Wurzer, did the interview. He appreciated that she has a lot of experience talking about matters of end of life and grief. I'm being open about my emotion. I'm being open about my PTSD. I'm being open about my grief. While here, Colin described the way his family used to watch Almanac together, a show Kathy co-hosts on public television. You know, we watch the news and we watch Almanac, and that was our thing growing up. And so I feel like I know your voice, and I know the great conversations you've had with her. And so yeah it very meaningful to me too Oh I appreciate that Truly more than you know It all helped calm understandable nerves for Colin We going to pick up the interview where Kathy and Colin were talking about how his mother might have approached a session like this one on the heels of the federal immigration operation. I was talking to a member of the House DFL caucus about Speaker Hortman, your mom, and I'm thinking that during this upcoming session there'll probably be a lot of like, what would Melissa be doing with this issue? And I'm wondering, from your perspective, what do you think your mom would be doing post-ICE raids and the immigration crackdown and on all the issues it's left behind? Sure. I think, ideally, she would bust out the prayer that she carried with her everywhere. The peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. And it begins with, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. And I think that there's a lot of really good language in there. And she would try to bring the energy of that poem to the floor and the response and whatever that looked like. I'm not a political leader, so I don't know what we need to do or what I need to support or not support. But I think she would try to limit the hate and sow love and console the people that need to be consoled. Um, I think if it wasn't her desk, if it was someone else's, I think that there would be, um, you know, she would have a lot of grief, grief and empathy for, um, her member that had passed and, uh, um, the family and, and the community and like, right. The, you know, our whole community is on some level traumatized and, um, there's so much empathy that we need to share with each other. Because I think that she also believed that being open and talking about your feelings and connecting with people and being empathetic was kind of the key to understanding each other. And that's kind of part of why I'm speaking up is I don't think that we are connecting enough. I don't think that we are busting past the surface. And it's just when we, I'm thinking a lot about like how to say it but it's like when we silence grief we silence empathy too and in that we're like removing the connection from each other can I talk about grief for a moment sure um it's been eight months since your parents died and time can get so distorted when someone dies and a violent unexpected death really underscores the confusion, the shock, the feeling of being numb. Is this disorientation easing a little bit for you at all? It has recently. And that's why I'm here today. That's why I'm able to talk to you today. You know, for the first three months, I think it went by in the blink of an eye. I really, there's many parts I don't remember. And then it has just been a very long healing journey. I've been going to therapy once, twice a week, using different kinds of therapy methods. And I found that extremely helpful. So yeah, I think that things are getting better. And I've, in starting to talk about and share about how wonderful my parents are, I've found some level of peace with that and a peace that I haven't had for eight months. And so getting to share about them is really, has been helpful. Sometimes to ground oneself, people stay close to familiar places. I know you grew up in Brooklyn Park. Have you gone back much at all, or is it just too hard? Yeah, actually, I was there this morning. There's other issues I'd like to dive in at a later date, but, um, there's a, you know, there was a big problem with insurance, uh, getting things funded and Minnesota has a law that covers some stuff, but we went back. So I went back to the house today and it's finally pretty much all cleaned up. Um, which yeah, eight months to get it back. It's a long time. Um, and there's things that I, I want to do at the house that like, um, I think one, one big thing that I've, I've really wanted to do at the house is, uh, make the margarita and make the whiskey with cherries that my dad had and eat a slice of rhubarb custard pie. Cause that's the only thing that was in the house that was like completely untouched and undisturbed, uh, like a week after, uh, was a perfectly cut up lime and a glass with the remnants of the lime juice. And then my dad's glass of whiskey with like one cherry left and two small plates with rhubarb custard pie. And so like that's clearly what they did when they got home from the Hubert Humphrey or the Mondale dinner. Yeah, the big dinner. So yeah, I've been wanting to like recreate that a little bit. And so it's nice to be that it's in a place that that's possible again. I remember many years ago, I talked to the widow of a homicide victim who told me her life was permanently changed. And she said, and I guess I never have forgotten it. She said, I don't know who I am anymore. And which is a common reaction for most homicide survivors, right? And clearly, Colin, your life has changed forever. Are you comfortable giving me a sense of the kinds of changes you're experiencing right now? So, yeah, I totally agree with that sentiment that like feeling completely changed. For me, that's been PTSD. And I fought that label pretty hard because I was like, I'm not a war veteran. I'm not a first responder. And I'm not trying to compare myself to those people. And that's not what PTSD is. You know, PTSD can happen from a car accident. PTSD can happen from a number of things. And this was very traumatic and very stressful. And it has left a disorder in my life that I feel in panic attacks and random bouts of crying and a heightened sense of awareness everywhere I travel. Which would make all the sense in the world, given what you've gone through. Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, in the case of a homicide, people often tend to say they've lost a person when they die, right? But your parents were stolen from you for all intents and purposes. And some people who have loved ones who've been murdered say that the anger is intense because of the injustice and the shock of it and all that. Are you dealing with rage, revenge, some of those really intense feelings? Uh, not revenge. Um, uh, like we don't need to talk about that person, but, um, yeah, but very angry at what happened. And, um, at first it was very focused on, on one person. Um, and now it's, you know, yeah, I struggle with rage. I think, especially for the first three months, I hadn't really been role modeled rage or anger. My parents were just so loving and caring and they took their arguments like outside, but like not even outside. Like they just, um, they argued in such a dignified way, you know? Um, and so I really struggled with anger a lot. Um, and now like seeing, um, now seeing people continue to use the same hateful, insightful language, uh, like we learned nothing from last year, uh, is also angering and frustrating. So, uh, there's new things, but I think my, I've used a lot of my anger to like give me energy, uh, to find the things that I care about and want to talk about. And that's been helpful with anger is to use it as fuel, but not use it for incitement or revenge or anything like that. And I'm wondering who's supporting you? Who's your rock? My wife. And congratulations. You were married in December. December 13th. Yeah. Yeah, it was wonderful. had both of our giant families there and the governor attended and we, our unity ceremony was singing, um, all I want for Christmas is you. And we printed it out on the back of our pamphlet. So the whole audience, including Tim and Gwen saying us all I want for Christmas is you, you know, it's like, she, she brings me joy, um, in a way that I honestly haven't felt, uh, joy since June 14th. And on our wedding day, it was like the first time I actually felt real joy again. I've been happy. You know, I've laughed with people, but she's what brings me joy. And think of your parents as role models too. They had such a beautiful, gentle, loving relationship. You've got good role models to follow. Yeah. I think that was... I think that's one of the hardest parts is that they were just so wonderful and they exemplified everything that like I would want to exemplify for my kids. You know, they taught us how to have a conversation, how to speak good. But they, sorry. they were just both the role models that um i think anyone should live up to because i think that they both lived by that prayer you know i don't think my dad carried it in his pocket but um they both lived up to the values that were in there and like following the golden rule and thinking before you talk and i think that we need more of that there are going to be efforts to memorialize your mom and your dad during the legislative session. I'm sure of that. Probably efforts to name buildings or highways after your mom. Lawmakers, I know, are looking for avenues to honor both your parents and Gilbert, probably this session, right? What do you think might be a proper, meaningful, permanent memorial? I think that there's a lot of really great ideas happening at the Capitol and that's not my job. But Sophie and I are being consulted about everything that they come up with. I think one thing that has stood out to me as an exceptional thing for my mom was like a Hortman Memorial Highway, Melissa Hortman. Not quite sure how that looks yet, but 610 was a huge project and connecting it to, I believe, 94 through Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove. And getting the funding for that was something that she sought out in her really early days and actually took a photo. The only photo that ever made it to a lit piece was at the groundbreaking ceremony for 610 or that final connection. So I think that that works very well. And I think that there's other ways that they can both be memorialized or memorialized on their own. And I think, you know, the organization Helping Paws has already done a tremendous job with their, the Hortman Heroes Fund in honor of Melissa, Mark and Gilbert, I think. And, you know, they've raised a lot of money and they're doing a good cause. Well, that's the public and then there's the private. Yeah. So I'm curious about how you are still keeping your parents in your heart, in your life. I been wrestling with that for eight months And I think I had to do a lot of writing to kind of figure that out And I didn know quite how to carry on their legacy or their words or their values And I think just going back to that peace prayer and figuring out how I can fit into the world and bring peace into the world, if I can contribute a more peaceful loving to a more peaceful loving world that would be great um and so i think yeah that's that's kind of how i'm trying to sorry um that's how i'm trying to connect to like different organizations that are working on um political rhetoric and political violence issues um it feels meaningful and i understand it for firsthand. It's not theoretical to me. It's very real. So I don't quite know how, because I think that's going to be an evolving journey for the rest of my life. But I think thinking before we say anything has been huge. And that's helped me a lot, like personally, like, right, this is why I haven't talked to anyone for eight months publicly, is because I think that there's like a lot of talking to different community members, talking to other victims, talking to your family, understanding how people feel before you can, you know, memorialize them correctly or carry them with you, you know, fully. Makes sense to me. Totally, Colin. No, I hear where you're going with that. I also, just on on a small, tiny scale, I still listen to my dad's voice with voice memos left behind. I don't want to forget his voice, what it sounded like, just even small things like that. Some people do that, and I don't know if there's any small thing you're doing. Yeah, I mean, Sophie and I have started a collection of videos of my dad. There's a lot of videos of my mom. Shocking, like, you know, she talked to you, She talked to other radio hosts. And so there's a lot of really good words from her. But we have a dedicated Mark folder. And little clips of Melissa as well. Of course, we have two folders with just the home videos rather than the big political radio stuff. But it's been really meaningful to have that folder and put stuff in there, little home clips. like my dad on the mountain biking trail we were up north of Duluth and there was just this really cool section and it like me and my dad were like how did they even build this like it was so remote and so cool and then there was this one of my mom like taking a panacookin out of the oven and I made her say panacookin and it's like one of my sister and I's favorite I can imagine that yes Well, and I think for me and my sister, that that's the important things that we're capturing in the folder is Panacouken and the birthdays, you know, well, the cakes really more than the birthdays. It was a month of birthdays. My mom was really big into cakes. She loved baking. And so like, that's how we remember her is like our mom. Like, yeah, she was the speaker and she was a state rep for 20 years. But like that, like she didn't really talk politics at home. Like maybe at the end of session if something was pressing, but usually she wasn't really home until 3 a.m. at the end of session. So we didn't really see her at the end. But she was just like always there for all of our swim meets and even like family dinners. Like I don't know how she managed doing negotiations and then also making it to a 6 or 7 o'clock dinner. And not talking about just that because I don't understand. But she was, yeah, she just always made Sophie and I feel like the most important people in the world. And I think that her and my dad were just like always parents first. And we were their favorite community. I love that. I love that so much. They didn't also love Brooklyn Park and Champlin and the whole state of Minnesota tremendously. But family was key to them. That was Colin Hortman, son of Melissa and Mark Hortman, speaking with Kathy Wurzer. You're listening to Politics Friday. An opening week like no other. The Capitol is sure a changed place. More security. More sensitivity to the way the political debates can reverberate. More blurring of the lines between state and federal matters. We'll finish out today's show with two people seeing these things firsthand. Our sturdy Capitol reporters, Dana Ferguson and Peter Cox. Dana, very somber. You were in the House chamber. It was kind of one of those pin drop days, wasn't it? It was. It was really emotional. Just so many lawmakers and former lawmakers, family members of the Hortmans, reporters in tears. It was just really hard. And I think it's been sort of setting in all of this week, having sort of these first moments, the first scrum on the House floor yesterday where it's a new leader. It's Zach Stevenson we're talking to, not Melissa Hortman. So just a lot of change. We'll get into that a little bit. Peter, it was kind of more mixed emotions in the Senate. How come? Yeah. Well, Senator John Hoffman came back to the Senate floor for the first time since being shot nine times last summer. And he walked in to all his colleagues just clapping for him for several minutes, and it was very emotional. And then he gave a speech about kind of what he's learned through this and just talked about how he's going to come back with more humility and really cut out the partisanship. And somewhat lost in all this, there were four new members at the Capitol for the very first time. I wonder what it's like for them. Yeah. So there's a new member in the Senate, Michael Holmstrom Jr. He's coming into the former seat of Senator Bruce Anderson, who also died last summer. The Senate did memorialize him this week, too. In the House, we have three new DFL members, all from the metro area. And they've just kind of been thrown into it this week with a lot of committee hearings already. Yeah. And Dana, so this was Tuesday. By Thursday, they had reverted to form a little bit as you were kind of getting to. Yeah, it was fast and furious back into a lot of the partisan bickering, trying to, for lack of a better word, sort of bait one another into responses about issues that are sensitive or difficult or certainly going to be on the campaign trail. We were both on the floor last night as the House was taking on two issues that are obviously very important to lawmakers dealing with fraud, dealing with immigration enforcement response. And it was just a lot of – it seems like they didn't learn very much from some of the remarks on Tuesday. Yeah, it was – there were some pretty sharp exchanges and some pretty emotional speeches, Peter. Yeah, I mean, there was clearly a partisan divide on both issues. The fraud issue is more of a procedural fight, but on immigration, it really kind of got pretty personal. And it was interesting just to hear the kind of reaction in the room that you don't often hear people making comments and things like that. It just really felt like a strange day compared to Tuesday's message. Yeah, I think we were talking earlier, one of you described it as almost like a parliament feel where people are booing and cheering. Tina, the governor, Tim Walz, addressed kind of how the 2020 succession and the intersection with the campaign might go. And he took a more optimistic view of it. Yeah, he essentially said now that he's not running for his office again, he's freed up. He's able to have different roles and negotiations on different bills than he would have had before. And he also said that he's not too worried about the three Republican lawmakers in the House who are also or who will be running for governor. Sort of slided them a little bit, slided them, saying as soon as he left the governor's race, it didn't really become a question whether any of them could win. So that was a little tough talk from him, but a lot of commitment to doing some work on fraud prevention. We heard a lot of that in committee this week. that's going to be obviously a huge issue. But the path to getting to an agreement seems like it might be tricky. And as to his own political future, he had some colorful ways to describe whether he would accept a Senate appointment or wants to go to the Senate. Yeah, I would say don't count on it. Because when he was asked whether he would like to get the appointment, should Senator Amy Klobuchar become governor, he said he'd sooner eat glass. Okay, I think that's pretty sharp words. Sharp words. I get it. Yes. Next week is going to be important because there's a big report out, Peter, that kind of will set the tone, set the parameters. What are we expecting? So the budget forecast will come out on Friday. And leaders in both parties say they're not really sure what to expect. There was some glimmer of hope in a report from January. But, you know, we have so many different moving parts in the economy. the tariffs going away today. Struck down today, and the president just said he's going to reimpose new tariffs. Right. So it leaves a lot of question into how solid these numbers will be, but also how much room legislators will have to work with any money this session. Yeah, Dana, there's been kind of this, be careful what you do this year, because it might affect a lot of things. XYZ down the road, right. And certainly there are a number of people who are coming forward with proposals, whether it's dealing with tax conformity, wanting to make sure some of the federal changes, no tax on tips, other things are applied at the state level, or trying to get some relief funding out to businesses affected by immigration enforcement, rent relief, other things. All these things cost money, and this will give a better sense of whether there is any state money that can be allocated to those things. And if the answer is no, there might be more discussion about revenue raisers, taxes, fees, etc. But it's very unclear whether Republicans would accept any of those. And so next week, both of you will, instead of being here, you'll be downtown getting that forecast and getting all that information. So we'll have to find substitutes. Yeah. Well, we will also be hearing about school safety, and that's going to be a big topic, also a very divisive topic among parties. And we will definitely get into some of those things in future shows. But our time is up for today. We took a look back at the first week of the Minnesota legislature's 2026 session, the tribute to Mark and Melissa Hortman, the return of Senator John Hoffman, the early policy skirmishes of the year. Lots more legislative tussles are yet to come, and we'll visit those in the weeks ahead. We also had that extended interview with Colin Hortman about how he's working through the death of his parents. It's worth a listen. Hear that again on the Politics Friday podcast. This show was produced by Matt Alvarez. We had additional help from reporters Kate Kelly and Nicole Kai. Our technical director was Derek Ramirez. Emily Reese took care of those newscasts. We'll be back next week with a look at that economic forecast with Chris Farrell. Until then, stay safe and have a great weekend.