Melissa Hortman

Melissa Anne Hortman was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 61st speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, she represented northern parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 until her assassination in 2025, serving as the House minority leader from 2017 to 2019 and as the speaker from 2019 to January 2025. During her tenure, she advocated for transportation, environmental rights, abortion rights, police reform, and gun control policies. She was also the chief author of the state's solar energy standard.