The murder of Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, left a legislative chamber that had been evenly divided between the parties with a one-vote Republican majority.
But Democrats say a shocking act of political violence should in no way be shrouded by concern over a looming political controversy. There will be plenty of time to hold a special election to fill Ms. Hortman’s before the next legislative session begins next February.
The motives for the gunman are sill unknown, and there has been no indication that the suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, was thinking about the balance of power when the police say he carried out his attacks at the homes of two lawmakers in the Minneapolis suburbs. The authorities believe he shot and killed Representative Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and wounded State Senator John A. Hoffman, a fellow Democrat, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
As of Sunday, no public statements had been made about a timeline for filling the now-vacant House seat. Under state law, the governor is required to call a special election.
Matt Roznowski, the director of communications and public affairs for the House of Representative’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the state’s Democratic Party, said in an email on Sunday that “there is no urgency to fill the seat” because the next session doesn’t begin until next year.
In an email, a spokeswoman for Gov. Tim Walz’s office, Claire Lancaster, said it was too soon to say when a special election would be called.
The partisan makeup of the Minnesota House has been particularly delicate in recent months. Since March, the chamber had stood at 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans — an unusual deadlock that effectively required bipartisan negotiations or procedural agreements to pass legislation.
The Minnesota Legislature also includes 67 senators, according to the state’s website. The State Senate was also evenly divided after Kari Dziedzic, a Democratic senator, died shortly after the 2024 election, but a special election in early February gave Democrats a one-seat majority.
It is unclear when Mr. Hoffman, who remained in the hospital on Sunday, will return to his legislative duties, but he has many months to recover.
Democratic and Republican leaders alike have focused their public statements on honoring Ms. Hortman’s legacy and calling for the suspect to be brought to justice.
“I condemn in the strongest possible way the violence that took Melissa and Mark from us, and I call on every Minnesotan to reject it,” State Representative Lisa Demuth, a Republican and current Minnesota House speaker, said in a statement on social media. “Political violence is abhorrent and unacceptable, and my prayers are with the men and women in law enforcement who are working to stop this evil and bring the perpetrator to justice.”
Mark Walker is an investigative reporter for The Times focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
Amanda Holpuch covers breaking news and other topics.
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