♪♪ >> ERIC: MANY OF MELISSA HORTMAN'S COLLEAGUES CAME TO THE CAPITOL TO VISIT THE MEMORIALS AND REMEMBER THEIR FRIEND AND CHERISHED LEADER.

REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER COVERED HORTMAN HER ENTIRE POLITICAL CAREER, AND MARY TALKED TO SOME KEY LAWMAKERS WHO ALSO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING.

♪♪ >> Mary: WORDS ARE HARD TO COME BY WHEN THE UNSPEAKABLE HAPPENS, FROM A NIGHT TIME CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL -- TO MAKESHIFT MEMORIALS OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE STATE CAPITOL, WHERE MELISSA HORTMAN WORKED FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE AN ASSASSIN HORRIFICALLY ENDED ONE OF THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL CAREERS IN ALL OF MINNESOTA POLITICS.

THESE LAWMAKERS HAVE BEEN THERE FROM THE BEGINNING.

>> KIND OF COMES AND GOES.

IT'S HARD.

>> OUR LIVES JUST INTERSECTED SO MUCH FOR 21 YEARS.

>> WE HAD THE PLEASURE, HONOR, GREAT FUN OF DOOR KNOCKING WITH HER.

>> Mary: WOULD YOU BE HERE WITHOUT MELISSA HORTMAN?

>> NO, I WOULD NOT.

I MET HER WHEN I WAS 18.

MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE.

SHE'S BEEN A GOOD FRIEND.

AND IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE.

>> FOR ME, SHE'S VERY INFLUENTIAL.

I MEAN, SHE AS TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED NOW WAY BEFORE THEY WERE POPULAR.

>> SO FRANK AND I, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, GO BACK 30 YEARS AND WE WORKED HARD BUILDING THIS MOVEMENT FOR TRANSPORTATION.

>> MADAM SPEAKER.

>> THANK YOU.

[ Applause ] >> WANTED TO MAKE HER PROUD.

>> YOU WANTED TO MEET HER EXPECTATIONS.

BECAUSE SHE WAS WORKING SO HARD AND DOING SO MUCH AND TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING, YOU FELT LIKE YOU NEEDED TO MATCH THAT LEVEL OF EFFORT.

>> JUST SO SELFLESS.

SHE CREATED LEADERS.

>> 2023, THE SECOND MINNESOTA MIRACLE AND SHE WAS AT THE HELM ALONG WITH ANOTHER PHENOMENAL SELFLESS, TOTALLY GUILELESS LEADER IN DAUGHTER YI DZIEDZIC.

TO THINK THE TWO F THEM BEING THE WOMEN FOR THE MOMENT AT THAT POINT IN HISTORY, WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE WHAT WE DID WITHOUT THEM.

>> Mary: NOW BOTH THE LEADERS ARE GONE, SOMETHING THAT WAS UNTHINKABLE AS THEY KEMPT THEIR CAUCUSES TOGETHER IN TRIFECTA OF MAKING HISTORY.

>> AS THESE BIG MEN WHO ARE GOOD AT DRIVING DEALS AND ARE VERY TRANSACTIONAL, AND THESE TWO GOT IT DONE JUST THROUGH HUMAN CONNECTION.

>> SHE'S THE LONGEST SERVING WOMAN SPEAKER IN MINNESOTA HISTORY.

ONE OF THE LOSTEN SPEAKERS OVERALL.

>> FIRST INTERVIEW I HAD AFTER BEING NAMED SPEAKER, SOMEBODY SAID WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE THIRD WOMAN SPEAKER OR A WOMAN PEAKER?

AND I SAID, JUST LIKE BEING A SPEAKER.

BUT I'M A WOMAN.

>> Mary: WHILE MELISSA HORTMAN WON HER LAST ELECTION BY ALMOST 30 PERCENTAGE POINTS, WHEN SHE FIRST CAME TO THE CAPITOL 20 YEARS AGO, HER MAWRNLG YINL OF VICTORY WAS JUST TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS AND SHE HAD UN AND LOST TWICE BEFORE THAT.

SO HER TENACITY WAS APPARENT IN THE MOMENT SHE ENTERED POLITICS.

>> IT'S NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE, BUT IT SHOWS JUST HOW INCREDIBLY COMMITTED SHE WAS.

AND THAT THIS WAS IN HER JUST RESILIENCE.

>> SHE'S TOUGH, RESILIENT.

I DON'T THINK PEOPLE APPRECIATE THAT AS MUCH, BECAUSE SHE WAS WARM AND FUNNY AND AUTHENTIC AND HUMAN.

AT ALL TIMES.

>> SHE WAS A PERSON WHO WOULD GET KNOCKED DOWN AND GET RIGHT BACK UP AGAIN AND KEEP GOING, WHICH WAS A HUGE PART OF HER REASON FOR HER SUCCESS WAS THE FACT THAT SHE JUST KEPT OING AND GOING AND GOING.

>> I THINK YOU HAVE TO CALL BULL [BLEEP] WHEN YOU SEE BULL [BLEEP].

AND WE SEE PLENTY OF IT.

>> Mary: WHEN SHE ROSE UP THE RANKS, SHE MAINTAINED HER FARE LEASE HUMILITY AND CARE OF MEMBERS.

>> THERE ARE A LOT OF SPEAKERS AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE OF VERY HIGH RANK AROUND HERE WHO REALLY BELIEVED THE TRAPPINGS OF THEIR STATION, AND WOULD NEVER HAVE JUST ALLOWED PEOPLE TO INVADE THEIR OFFICE AND USE THEIR FURNITURE AND EAT ALL THEIR SNACKS TO CARRY ON A NEGOTIATION LIKE THAT.

>> WHEN WE WOULD HAVE A CAUCUS MEETING, AND BE PREPARING FOR A LONG NIGHT ON THE FLOOR, SHE WOULD SAY, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FOOD, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WATER.

>> KINDNESS DOESN'T MEAN WEAK TWEAKNESS, THAT YOU CAN BE KIND AND STRONG AND SHE DEFINITELY WAS THAT.

SHE WAS AN INCREDIBLY STRONG WOMAN BUT SHE MADE A POINT OF TREATING EVERYBODY AROUND HER WITH KINDNESS AND GIVING PEOPLE GRACE.

>> Mary: HOW WORRIED ARE WE ABOUT PEOPLE WANTING TO RUN AND WHAT POLITICS LOOKS LIKE GOING FORWARD?

>> I'M WORRIED ABOUT THAT.

IT'S CORROSIVE.

IT'S OW DANGEROUS.

>> ANYONE IN PUBLIC LIFE RIGHT NOW, I THINK, THERE'S CONCERN.

AND I JUST HOPE THAT MELISSA HORTMAN'S EXAMPLE WILL INSPIRE PEOPLE TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE, INSPIRE PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN HER COMMUNITY.

>> I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE NATURE OF OUR OLITICS GETTING SO TERRIBLE AS TO DRIVE PEOPLE OUT, BUT I ALSO WILL TELL YOU THAT IN TIMES LIKE THIS, WE DO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET INVOLVED.

>> I KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL BE HURT BY THAT VOTE.

AND I'M -- >> Mary: HORTMAN'S INAL POLITICAL DECISIONS INCLUDING TAKING A PAINFUL VOTE TO KEEP GOVERNMENT GOING AND GIVING UP HER SPEAKER'S GAVEL IN A TIED HOUSE.

[ Applause ] >> IT HONESTLY MIGHT BE ONE OF THE MOST SELFLESS ACTS IN THE HISTORY OF THIS LEGISLATURE.

>> I THINK THAT THIS SESSION WAS BOOK ENDED BY INCREDIBLY SELFLESS ACTS BY SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN GIVING UP THE