Latest news with #StateLegislature
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Minnesota's Lessons for America's Politics
There may have been no place in the country less likely for a political assassination to occur than Minnesota, and no target less likely than Melissa Hortman. The state Democratic House leader, 55, was gunned down in her home along with her husband last week, days after taking the toughest vote of her career to ensure a bipartisan budget deal would prevail. Hortman, who served 20 years in the state legislature, was no extremist. She loathed the personal-attack style that has become all too common in politics. She understood that 'people all needed to get some kind of a win, and feel they had gotten something for their constituents,' said her Republican counterpart, House Speaker Lisa Demuth. 'And I think she prioritized that."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Loud Light hosts ‘Youth to Power' training event for young Kansans
TOPEKA (KSNT) — A group of young Kansans are meeting to learn how to connect with local lawmakers on Tuesday. The event, Youth to Power: Training for Legislative Meetings, is all about informing younger voters about how to make a difference. Loud Light, a civic action organization, is playing the part of the host for this event. The organization's goal at the 6 p.m. June 17 Zoom meeting is to teach young Kansans about how to build connections with local lawmakers. Group organizers said that young voters statewide are encouraged to join. 27 News spoke to Loud Light Organizer Donnavan Dillon. He believes these meetings are all about communicating with the State Legislature. 'No Kings' protests and the race for Kansas governor 'I think finding that common ground in those conversations and building a political culture where we can meet those representatives, whether we agree with them or not, and have a good conversation that moves us forward is really important,' Dillon said. Those interested in attending a future meeting are encouraged to sign up by visiting the Loud Light website. For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Children of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman: ‘We are devastated'
The children of late Minnesota state Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D), who was fatally shot over the weekend along with her husband Mark, acknowledged the death of their parents in a statement Monday. 'We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone,' Sophie and Colin Hortman wrote. 'Their love for us was boundless,' they added. 'We miss them so much.' The Hortmans and state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife Yvette were the victims of a shooting on Saturday by a man impersonating a law enforcement officer. The Hoffmans were rushed to the hospital and after surgeries are expected to survive. The case is being investigated as 'politically motived.' The FBI and Justice Department are leading a probe into the violent incident. Vance Boelter, the suspected gunman, was apprehended Sunday and indicted in the state on stalking and murder charges. He was also hit with a federal murder charge earlier this week. A list of other potential targets was also found in Boelter's car, including lawmakers and other top officials. 'Our family would like to thank law enforcement for their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents,' the Hortman children wrote. 'We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents' home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad.' 'Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them,' they added in the statement. Hortman worked alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) during his tenure in the State Legislature. The two were elected officials for the North Star State's Farmer Labor Party. Walz has condemned the attacker for targeting Democratic lawmakers amid a partisan divide nationwide. Others, from both sides of the aisle, have also weighed in on the tragedy. Hortman's children said they best way for her legacy to live on is for people to unite. 'Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer,' they wrote. 'Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect.' 'The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else,' the duo wrote.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota's slain Democratic leader saw liberal victories, then brokered a budget deal out of power
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota House's top Democrat helped shepherd a package of liberal initiatives to passage when her party had a narrow majority two years ago. After Democrats lost their majority, she helped broker a deal to keep state government funded and provided a crucial vote to pass it, though her party hated it. State Rep. Melissa Hortman, 55, the House's Democratic leader and former speaker, was shot to death early Saturday in her Minneapolis-area home along with her husband by someone posing as a law enforcement officer. Another prominent area lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, was shot and wounded, along with his wife, in their home about 15 minutes away in what Gov. Tim Walz described as 'targeted political violence.' The shooting shocked officials in both parties in a state that prides its politics as being 'Minnesota nice,' despite higher partisan tensions in recent years. While Minnesota hasn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since 1972, and all of its statewide elected officials are Democrats, the Legislature is nearly evenly divided, with the House split 67-67 until Hortman's death and Democrats holding a 34-33 majority in the Senate. Hortman led fellow Democrats in boycotting House sessions for almost a month starting Jan. 14 to prevent the GOP from using a temporary vacancy in a Democratic seat to cement power over the chamber instead of working out a power-sharing arrangement. Yet when the partisan split in the House threatened to prevent the Legislature from passing a budget to keep state government running for the next two years, she not only helped broker the final deal but secured its passage by being the only Democrat to vote yes on a key part of the deal. 'She wasn't only a leader — she was a damn good legislator, and Minnesotans everywhere will suffer because of this loss,' said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, a former Minnesota state party chair and a friend of Hortman's. The wounded senator chairs a key committee Hoffman, 60, is chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He lives in Champlin, in the northwest part of the Minneapolis area, and owns a consulting firm, and he and his wife, Yvette, had one daughter. He previously was marketing and public relations director for a nonprofit provider of employment services for people with mental illnesses and intellectual and developmental disabilities and supervised a juvenile detention center in Iowa. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012. In 2023, Hoffman supported budget legislation that extended the state MinnesotaCare health program to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, starting this year. On Monday, he voted against a bill to end that coverage for adults on Jan. 1 — a GOP goal that was a key part of the budget agreement that Hortman helped broker. Last year, Hoffman sponsored a bill designed to prevent courts from blocking people with disabilities from adopting children, and in 2023, he proposed an amendment to the state constitution to create a fund to pay for long-term care by taxing the Social Security benefits of the state's wealthiest residents. Hortman had served nine years as Democratic leader Hortman had served as the House Democrats' leader since 2017, and six years as speaker, starting in 2019. She had to give up the speaker's job this year after the 2024 elections produced the even partisan split. Her official title this year was speaker emerita. She and her husband, Mark, lived in Brooklyn Park, another suburb in the northwest part of the Minneapolis area. They had two adult children. A lawyer, she twice lost races for the House before first winning her seat in 2004. U.S. Sen. and Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar recalled campaigning door to door that year with Hortman, when Klobuchar was the elected chief prosecutor for Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis. Klobuchar praised Hortman's support for free school lunches, women's rights and clean energy, calling her 'a true public servant to the core.' 'She was beloved by her colleagues,' Klobuchar said in a statement. Hortman helped push through a sweeping agenda in 2023 Hortman became part of the Democrats' leadership team at the state Capitol in 2007 and House minority leader in 2017, before Democrats recaptured a House majority in 2019. In 2023 and 2024, Democrats controlled both chambers and used their majorities to enact a sweeping liberal agenda and practically everything on an ambitious wish list. The measures included expanded abortion and trans rights, paid family and medical leave, universal free school lunches, child care credits and other aid for families. She previously proposed state emission standards for automobiles like ones imposed in California and a ban on the sale of products containing mercury. She also proposed studying the feasibility of ending state investments in fossil fuel companies. 'She knew how to stand firm on her values but understood the importance of teamwork and compromise and never backed down from hard choices," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. "She was tough, she was kind, and she was the best of us.' ___ Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC Democratic mayoral debate 2025: Cuomo, Mamdani exchange blows ahead of primary
The Brief Democratic candidates for New York City mayor took the stage to debate each other. Zohran Mamdani found himself the target of jabs, along with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Early voting begins on Saturday and continues through Sunday, June 22. The primary is Tuesday, June 24. NEW YORK CITY - Seven Democratic candidates for New York City mayor took the stage on Thursday night to debate each other for the second and final time. What they're saying "Experience matters and I think inexperience is dangerous," former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist, found himself the target of jabs, along with Cuomo. "He's never dealt with the City Council. He's never dealt with the Congress. He's never dealt with the State Legislature. He's never negotiated with a union. He's never built anything. He's never dealt with a natural emergency. He's never dealt with a hurricane, with a flood, et cetera. He's never done any of the essentials. And now you have Donald Trump on top of all of that," Cuomo said. MORE: NYC mayoral race: List of candidates, latest polls The 67-year-old former governor took a shot at Mamdani, who wore his inexperience as a badge of honor. "I have never had to resign in disgrace," he said. "I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA. I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records, and I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuomo." Mamdani continued, chiding Cuomo for mispronouncing his name: "And furthermore, the name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I." "The problem is we do not get to address the issues that New Yorkers care about because we're talking about his past." State Sen. Zellnor Myrie City Comptroller Brad Lander also hammered Cuomo over the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office. Meanwhile, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie lamented the fact that the debate had devolved into a referendum on Cuomo's history. "The problem is we do not get to address the issues that New Yorkers care about because we're talking about his past," Myrie said. The race appears to be between Cuomo and Mamdani, but former City Comptroller Scott Stringer says – don't forget about me. "My experience and my vision, when you combine it, is the third lane to win this race," Stringer said. Former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson criticized not Cuomo, but Mamdani, and predicted that his plan to raise taxes would have dire consequences: "Lead to an exodus of businesses and jobs and crush our city." At one point, moderators allowed the candidates to ask questions of each other. Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York City Council, directed her question at Mamdani, first detailing her long work experience and then asking: "Given what I've just laid out, do you think you're more qualified than me to lead the city?" Mamdani smiled and praised Adams' leadership, but said he believed he was the most qualified "because I believe the most pressing crisis we're facing here is one of affordability, and that is something that my campaign has been laser-focused on," before touching on some of his policy points. What's next Early voting begins on Saturday and continues through Sunday, June 22. The primary is Tuesday, June 24.
