THAT VOTE.

♪♪ >> CATHY: LONGTIME VIEWERS KNOW THAT IT IS A DECADES-LONG TRADITION TO GATHER ALL FOUR LEGISLATIVE LEADERS ON THE FINAL FRIDAY OF SESSION TO SEE WHERE THINGS STAND WITH THE ADJOURNMENT DEADLINE LOOMING.

THIS YEAR'S FINAL FRIDAY CONVERSATION WAS CENTERED ON JUST LAST MONTH, THE DEAL STRUCK TO REMOVE STATE HEALTHCARE SUPPORT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ADULTS.

HERE'S REPUBLICAN SPEAKER LISA DEMUTH AND D.F.L.

SPEAKER EMERITA MELISSA HORTMAN ON THE NEED FOR COMPROMISE TO PASS A STATE BUDGET.

TAKE A LOOK, AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A COUCH FULL OF FORMER LEGISLATIVE LEADERS.

>> WHEN LAWMAKERS ARE LOOKING AT BILLS AND THIS IS NOT JUST OMNIBUS BILLS, BUT AREAS OF THE WORK THAT WE DO, WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE BILLS, THERE ARE THINGS IN THERE THAT WE DON'T LIERKS AND THEN THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO DO.

AND SO IT'S REALLY HARD DECISIONS AS WE GET INTO MORE OF THESE SOCIAL ISSUES OR DIVIDING ISSUES.

AND COMPROMISES THAT CAN BE MADE, SOME THAT DON'T MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY BUT WE STILL HAVE TO GET THE WORK DONE AS CLOSE TO ON TIME AS POSSIBLE.

>> Eric: AS A YOUNG PERSON WHO'S ONE OF THE VETERANS OF THE LEGISLATURE, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE SPEAKER EMERITA, IF YOU GOT ENOUGH OUT OF THIS SESSION GIVEN ALL OF THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE SESSION, HOW IS THIS A HALF GLASS FULL OR A HALF GLASS MPTY OR WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?

>> IT'S WITH A HEAVY HEART THAT WE ACCEPTING THIS DEAL.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MINNESOTA STATE GOVERNMENT IS TO FUND MINNESOTA STATE GOVERNMENT.

OUR JOB THIS YEAR WAS TO ADOPT A TWO-YEAR BUDGET.

A PRETTY HARD SCHOENBERG IN 2011, THAT IS DEVASTATING FOR PEOPLE WHEN ALL THOSE FAMILIES OF STATE WORKERS DON'T GET PAYCHECKS, WHEN MINNESOTANS CAN'T ACCESS THE SERVICES THEY NEED.

SO THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO KEEP GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONING.

♪♪ >> CATHY: WE HAVE A COUCH FULL OF FORMER LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO END OUR HOUR TOGETHER TONIGHT.

DEMOCRATS UP FIRST.

FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MARGARET ANDERSON KELLIHER WAS THE SECOND WOMAN TO FILL THAT ROLE IN MINNESOTA.

AND RYAN WINKLER, FORMER D.F.L.

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER DURING SPEAKER HORTMAN'S TENURE.

REPUBLICANS HERE: AMY KOCH IS A FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, THE SECOND WOMAN TO FILL THAT ROLE IN MINNESOTA.

AND KURT DAUDT, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER WHO SERVED DURING SPEAKER HORTMAN'S LEADERSHIP YEARS.

THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.

YOU ALL HAVE SERVED IN LEADERSHIP AS I MENTIONED.

YOU ALL HAD SOMETHING YOU PROBABLY SERVED WITH REPRESENTATIVE HORTMAN, AND I DON'T WANT TO FORGET SENATOR HOFFMAN TOO.

YOU'RE ALL COLLEAGUES OF SENATOR HOFFMAN'S, AND I WANT TO KNOW, HOW'S IT BEEN LIKE FOR ALL OF YOU THIS WEEK?

I'M GOING TO START WITH RYAN WINKLER.

>> TOTAL DEVASTATION.

I MEAN, IT'S LIKE LOSING A SISTER OR FAMILY MEMBER.

IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

>> Cathy: SPEAKER DAUDT.

>> IT'S BEEN TOUGH.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE ALL WOKE UP KIND OF IN SHOCK ON SATURDAY MORNING, LEARNING THE NEWS.

AND I HAD THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A WORK TRIP START ON SUNDAY.

SO I HAD BEEN OUT OF TOWN UNTIL LAST NIGHT.

AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T SEEM REAL, LIKE I'M READING A MOVIE SCRIPT THAT -- A HORRIBLE SCARY MOVIE SCRIPT, BUT I SOMEHOW KNOW IT'S NOT REAL BUT IT IS.

>> Cathy: SENATOR KOCH?

>> IT -- IT'S SHOCKING.

IT'S BEEN DARK.

I THINK THERE'S BEEN TIMES WHERE I'VE ONE DOWN SOME NEWS OR TWITTER HOLES THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE, AND THEN I'VE HAD TO PULL MYSELF UP.

AND I REMEMBER THINKING, TO BE SO THANKFUL FOR HER CHILDREN'S WORDS.

BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW IN THIS MOMENT THEY HAD THE COMPOSURE AND THE GRACE TO SAY WHAT THEY DID.

BUT IT WAS A LIGHT FOR ME.

AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE.

AS A WAY OUT OF THIS.

AND A WAY TO LOOK FORWARD.

AND SO -- >> I'LL JUST SAY, SEEING THOSE PICTURES OF SENATOR DZIEDZIC AND SPEAKER HORTMAN ARE REALLY HARD.

BOTH VERY GOOD FRIENDS.

I THINK BOTH WOULD SAY, I MENTORED THEM, TO HAVE THEM BOTH GONE IS VERY HARD.

TO HAVE MELISSA GONE IS PARTICULARLY HARD FOR ME.

WE WERE SORT OF STRANGE TWINS.

IN SOME WAYS.

[ Laughter ] SHE -- JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

AND I, YOU KNOW, WE -- WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKERS TOO, AND PARTICULARLY IN THESE RELATIONSHIPS, OU KNOW THE FAMILY.

YOU KNOW -- I KNEW MARK.

I KNEW MARK ACTUALLY THROUGH MY TECHNOLOGY WORK TOO.

AND I JUST FEEL LIKE IT'S A NIGHTMARE THAT I CAN'T QUITE WAKE UP OUT OF, AND PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, SENATOR HOFFMAN AND HIS WIFE ARE AMAZING ADVOCATES.

THEIR DAUGHTER HOPE IS A HERO IN THIS.

AND WE JUST HAVE TO HOLD THEM CLOSE HERE.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT FOLKS WHO HAVE PASSED, AT LEAST MAYBE THIS IS JUST ME, BUT I ALWAYS TRY TO REMEMBER WHAT I LEARNED FROM THEM BECAUSE WHEN YOU INTERACT WITH ANYBODY, YOU CAN ALWAYS LEARN FROM THEM, AND I'M WONDER' SPEAKER DAUDT IS THERE A PARTICULAR LESSON?

>> I THINK A LOT ACTUALLY.

SHE DEFINITELY MADE ME A BETTER LEGISLATOR AND A BETTER LEADER.

SHE AND I WERE PROBABLY EACH OTHER'S PRIMARY POLITICAL OPPONENTS DURING HER CAREER AND DURING MY CAREER.

I REMEMBER HER COMING UP TO ME ONE TIME AT THE ROSTRUM WHEN I WAS SPEAKER, AND KIND OF -- IT PRECEDED THE SCO SORRY, NOT SORY MOMENT, AND SHE REALLY WANTED THE PEOPLE IN THE CHAMBER TO HEAR THE VOICES OF THE MINORITY WOMEN IN HER CAUCUS.

AND IT -- SHE HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE PEOPLE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE HAVING AN ELECTION CERTIFICATE AND IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO SPEAK UP AND BE HEARD.

AND SHE USED THE POWER THAT SHE HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VOICES WERE HEARD.

>> Eric: WAS SHE TOUGH IN CAUCUS?

WE DON'T GET TO SEE -- >> MELISSA HORTMAN?

>> [ Laughter ] >> Eric: YEAH.

>> YES.

[ Laughter ] >> Eric: SHE HAD A GROWINGLY DIVERSE CAUCUS, HOUSE DEMOCRATS.

AND I -- SHE SEEMED TO PLAY THAT CARD VERY WELL, TO GET EVERYBODY INVOLVED.

>> YES, I MEAN ORGANIZATION THAT'S OBVIOUSLY TRUE.

THAT'S OBVIOUSLY TRUE.

BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF METRO METRO WAS THAT HE -- -- MELISSA HORTMAN WAS SHE WAS VERY INSECURE AND UNSURE OF HERSELF BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

SHE WOULD BE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR INPUT AND EVEN ALL THROUGH THIS SESSION DURING A TIE AND THE THREE WEEKS WHERE THEY WERE NOT COMING IN BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO ADDRESS THE QUORUM ISSUE, CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING WHETHER SHE HAD DONE THE RIGHT THING.

AND EVEN AT THE END, WHEN SHE HAD TO TAKE THAT VOTE THAT SHE DID NOT WANT TO TAKE, IT WAS, MAYBE I SCREWED THIS UP, RIGHT?

THIS WAS, LIKE, SOMEBODY WHO LIVED WITH HER VULNERABILITIES ENOUGH THAT SHE OVERCAME THEM, RIGHT?

SHE TOOK HER INSECURITIES, SHE FIGURED OUT WHAT SHE NEEDED TO DO, AND THEN SHE TOOK ACTION, AND THEN SHE WAS THE TOUGH MELISSA HORTMAN THAT PEOPLE SAW.

>> Cathy: I AM SURPRISED TO HEAR THIS.

>> I JUST LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT.

YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE FORGET HOW MUCH THIS CAUCUS HAS CHANGED.

BUT WHEN MELISSA GOT ELECTED, SHE REALLY BROUGHT THE SUBURBAN CAUCUS TO THE DFL CAUCUS.

THE D.F.L.

CAUCUS HAD BEEN HAVING A WAR BETWEEN THE CITIES AND THE COUNTRY.

AND SHE BROUGHT SUBURBAN PEOPLE.

SHE RECRUITED THEM TO THIS CAUCUS.

AND THEN THE CAUCUS KEPT CHANGING.

AND SHE CHANGED WITH IT.

YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN WE WERE DOING THE OVERRIDE OF THE TRANSPORTATION BILL, I CHOSE HER TO BE THE POINT PERSON, TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION ON THE HOUSE FLOOR, ONLY ONE PERSON WAS YIELDED TO DURING HAT WHOLE DEBATE.

AND THAT WAS MELISSA HORTMAN.

OR SHE WOULD DECIDE WHO ELSE.

REMEMBER, SHE WASN'T THE CHIEF AUTHOR OF THE BILL.

BECAUSE OF HER LAWYER SKILLS, BECAUSE OF HER ABILITY AND DEBATE, SHE STARTED TO RISE EARLY IN TERMS OF SHOWING THAT LEADERSHIP.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED FROM HER, BECAUSE I AM NOT A LAWYER.

BUT LEARNING THAT ABILITY TO DEBATE AND TO BRING THAT HUMOR TO THE DEBATE WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

SHE DID IT WELL.

>> Cathy: I WANT TO GET BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID.

BECAUSE I AM SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT SHE HAD SOME DOUBTS ABOUT HER LEADERSHIP BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T SEEM LIKE -- >> BUT THAT'S WHERE THE STRENGTH CAME FROM.

>> Cathy: RIGHT.

THERE IS VULNERABILITY -- >> SHE HAD THE CONFIDENCE TO SIT AND QUESTION AND NOT FEEL LIKE SHE WAS GIVING SOMETHING UP.

>> Cathy: THERE IS STRENGTH IN VULNERABILITY, PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT.

DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?

>> NO, FIRST OF ALL, AS WOMEN, NOT SURPRISED AT ALL.

BUT ALSO, SHE -- THINGS I LEARNED FROM HER ARE, I WATCHED HER CAREER.

WE STARTED THE SAME YEAR, TWIES2005.

OUR KIDS WERE IN SWIMMING TOGETHER.

I FEEL LIKE WE'RE THE SAME CLASS AND BOTH WENT INTO THIS TINY CLOWB OF LEADERSHIP.

AND I ADMIRED HER GREATLY BECAUSE IEFD NO DOUBT WHAT SHE SOMEWHAT GOING THROUGH, AND SHE DID NOT SHOW IT ND SHE SHOWED IT RIGHT UP TO HER LAST VOTE.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION.

HOW IS YOUR CAUCUS GOING TO TAKE IT?

ARE THEY GOING TO BE UP SET WITH HER?

AND I THINK THAT I LOOKED AT IT AS, SHE TOOK THE VOTE SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO.

AND THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED AND WILL BE HER LEGACY AND IT'S THAT KIND OF STRENGTH THAT SHOWN THROUGH IN EVERYTHING SHE DID.

>> AND THAT -- THE WHOLE POINT IS, THEY ALL KNEW IT TOO, BECAUSE THE MAIN PART OF HER STRENGTH WAS THAT EVERYBODY ON THAT CAUCUS TEAM KNEW THAT SHE WAS DOING IT FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE.

AND HER PRIORITIES FORWARD.- >> SHE WASN'T ASKING THEM TO VOTE IN A WAY THAT THEY FELT REAR.

>> Cathy: AND YOU GUYS KNOW THIS INTIMATELY, BECAUSE BEING LEADERS, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THESE VERY TOUGH DECISIONS BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW BEHIND THE SCENES.

IS THAT RIGHT?

>> AND YOU ALSO FEEL LIKE YOU'RE THE PARENT OF THE CAUCUS, RIGHT?

AND SHE PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, DISPLAYED THAT MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE, RIGHT?

SHE REALLY DID TAKE CARE OF HER CAUCUS AND LOOKED OUT FOR THEM AND MADE SURE THEY WERE HEARD.

AND IN A WAY THAT I'VE NOT SEEN ANYBODY ELSE DO.

SO THAT DOES NOT SURPRISE ME A BIT.

>> SO I WAS GOING BACK THROUGH EMAIL AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHE AND I ALSO SHARED WAS THIS DESIRE TO KEEP LEARNING AND SHE WANTED TO GO TO THE KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, SHE DID, AND SO SHE WROTE TO ME, I'M SEEKING THE MASTER'S TO BECOME A STRONGER AND A MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER, AND I AM NOT, CANNOT, AND WON'T BE A PRIMA DONNA.

ALL POLICY SUCCESS COMES FROM TEAM WORK.

AND ONLY THE BEST LEADERS FORM STRONG TEAMS.

THAT'S MELISSA HORTMAN.

>> YEAH.

>> Eric: DO YOU EXPECT CANDIDATES TO RETIRE EN MASSE?

OR DO YOU EXPECT TOUGH TO RECREATE CANDIDATES IN THE NEXT CYCLE.

>> I THINK FIRST WE ARE GOING TO SEE A BIG CHANGE IN HOW THE LEGISLATURE DOES BUSINESS.

SECURITY'S GOING TO TIGHTEN UP AND PRECAUTIONS ILL BE TAKEN.

IT HAS TO BE.

I'I'VE BEEN IT'S "THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE" BUT THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE AND THEY HAVE TO.

AND SECOND OF ALL, I HOPE NOT.

I HOPE THAT HER KIND OF LEADERSHIP INSPIRES EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.

I HOPE THAT PEOPLE SEE THAT SHE CAME TO THE CAPITOL.

SHE JUST PUT HER HEAD DOWN.

SHE WORKED HARD AND SHE ACCOMPLISHED GREAT THINGS AND I WOULD HOPE THAT WOULD BE HER LEGACY, AS WELL AS BY THE WAY, SENATOR HOFFMAN.

I WANT TO GIVE LOVE.

IT SOUNDS LIKE HE AND YVETTE ARE HEALING AND THAT'S BEEN ONE OF MY BRIGHT SPOTS HIS WEEK AS WELL.

I HOPE THAT WE LOOK AT THOSE LEADERS AND SAY I'M NOT SCARED, I'M INSPIRED.

>> Eric: THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING HERE.