MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin lawmakers met under heightened security on Wednesday after two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses were shot in their homes over the weekend.
Both the state Assembly and Senate made it their first order of business to rise for a moment of silence in honor of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed, as well as Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who are recovering from their injuries.
“Michelle and I had the good fortune to spend quite a bit of time with Mark and Melissa since she was first elected speaker in 2019,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. “She was funny and engaging and incredibly smart.”
Wednesday’s floor sessions follow news that Wisconsin lawmakers were named in the alleged shooter’s writings. Leaders of both parties have joined together to condemn the attacks.
“The shootings in Minnesota were a horrific, targeted political attack,” Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said. “Political violence has no place in our democracy.”
Legislative leaders also read from a statement issued by the Hortman children. It says in part:
“This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. 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.”
“I hope we will all take time today to reflect and honor Mark and Melissa’s memory and ponder how we might use this senseless tragedy as a reminder to ourselves that we all have responsibility when it comes to toning down the political rhetoric we use each day,” Vos said.
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