The Dem Minnesota state lawmaker who was assassinated by a crazed gunman in a rubber mask crossed party lines just days earlier for a critical vote revoting health care coverage illegal migrants.
Melissa Hortman, the state House Democratic leader, was the only member of her party to side with Republicans and vote to repeal taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage for adult illegal immigrants as part of this year’s budget bill.
She and her husband were gunned down on Saturday in Brooklyn Park just outside of Minneapolis, shortly after the same assassin is believed to have gravely wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Cops are on the hunt for the suspect, Vance Luther Boetler, 57, a political appointee of Gov. Tim Walz, who allegedly left behind a sick “manifesto” listing the names of 70 politicians, including Walz, according to authorities.
Just days earlier, on June 10, Hortman cast the decisive vote on a state budget bill that stripped access to MinnesotaCare benefits for illegal migrants over the age of 18.
“I did what leaders do, I stepped up and I got the job done for the people of Minnesota,” she told KTTC-TV, adding that she understood the anger of her fellow DFL members.
“They’re right to be mad at me. I think some of them are pretty, pretty angry. I think that their job was to make folks who voted for that bill feel like crap, and I think that they succeeded,” she said.
She appeared visibly upset as she said she had voted for the healthcare provision solely to uphold the budget deal, which was later passed by the state Senate. Walz is expected to sign the budget into law.
“I know that people will be hurt by that vote, and we worked very hard to get a budget deal that didn’t include that provision,” she told the House on Tuesday following a four-hour debate,
The state legislature in Saint Paul is extremely narrowly divided. The state House is controlled by Republicans, who have a majority of just one seat (67-66) and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (as Minnesota Dems are called) holds the state Senate by the same margin (34-33).
State Sen. Hoffman voted against the healthcare proposal, Alpha News reported.
Although Saturday’s killings are believed to be political, the specific motive for the shootings is not yet known.
A photograph of a series of signs reading “No Kings” found in the suspect’s vehicle was shared by the Minnesota State Patrol in a post on X on Saturday.
The slogan has become a calling card for the nationwide anti-Trump protests planned over the weekend, including several across the North Star State.
A chilling picture believed to show Boetler wearing a creepy latex mask in doorbell cam footage was shared by the FBI on Saturday.
He also sent a haunting last text message to a friend, David Carlson, at around 6 a.m. on Saturday, shortly after the shootings.
“David and Ron, I love you guys. I made some choices, and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both, and I wish it hadn’t gone this way,” Carlson read from his phone while sitting on the front stoop, video shared by the Minnesota Star Tribune shows.
Further shocking details have emerged about this weekend’s shootings.
One of the victims Yvette Hoffman, used her body as a human shield to save her daughter’s life, her nephew said.
“Early this morning, an absolute vile piece of s–t dressed as a cop broke into my aunt and uncle’s house and shot him 6 times and my aunt 5 times in a political act of terrorism. My aunt threw herself on her daughter, using her body as a shield to save her life,” Mat Ollig wrote on Facebook.
Tributes have been paid to Hortman, a longtime speaker of the state House until Republicans won control, and her husband from across the political aisle.
“A formidable public servant and a fixture of the state Capitol, Melissa Hortman woke up every day determined to make our state a better place,” Walz wrote on X.
“She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, and tirelessness. Minnesota’s thoughts are with her loved ones, and my prayers are with Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who were shot and wounded and are being treated,” Walz’s former running mate of Kamala Harris wrote.
President Trump said he had been briefed on the “terrible shooting” in Minnesota in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.
“Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!” he wrote.
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