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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has announced Sept. 16 as the date for a special election to fill the state House seat left vacant by the killing of Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat and former House speaker who was fatally shot alongside her husband last month in what authorities described as a targeted act of violence.
Walz, a Democrat, issued the writ of election on July 11, formally launching the process to replace Hortman in House District 34B, which covers parts of Anoka and Hennepin counties. A primary will be held on Aug. 12 if needed. Candidates have from July 15 to July 22 to file for the race, according to the governor’s order.
Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were both fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home in the early hours of June 14. The suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested a day later and remains jailed on murder and attempted murder charges.
Authorities say Boelter, disguised as a police officer, also shot and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, at their Champlin home during the same overnight spree.
Investigators discovered a manifesto and a hit list in Boelter’s vehicle naming dozens of lawmakers and officials, fueling concerns about politically motivated violence in the state.
Walz, who called Hortman’s death “an unspeakable tragedy,” urged Minnesotans in the immediate aftermath to avoid political gatherings until Boelter was captured. Boelter was apprehended in Sibley County on June 15.
Hortman, who was first elected to the House in 2004, was a prominent figure in Minnesota politics, serving as House speaker from 2019 to early 2025. She remained active in the chamber as minority leader at the time of her death.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, describing Hortman as a dedicated public servant and skilled negotiator.
“She was extraordinary,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in a June appearance on CNN. “When you hear about political violence ... you have got to look at the face of this woman and understand how real this is.”
Hoffman and his wife are recovering from their injuries. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden both condemned the shootings.
Calling the incident “terrible,” Trump said on Truth Social that the FBI was investigating, adding that such “horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.”
Biden said on X that the “heinous attack” should never have happened, calling for national unity in the face of what he described as “political violence.”
Boelter has offered little explanation for his actions. In a recent interview from jail with the New York Post, he said that details would emerge at trial. He did, however, say that his actions were unrelated to Trump or abortion politics, while hinting that a letter found in an abandoned SUV at the crime scene contained critical information that was not disclosed to the public.
“I also made sure when I was arrested that they secured that letter—I made the request that they secure that letter before it gets destroyed—because I was concerned somebody would destroy it,” Boelter told the Post.
Investigators said they found notebooks in the suspect’s vehicle that listed more than 45 Minnesota state and federal public officials.
Boelter, who holds a doctorate and has worked in management for food and beverage companies, also ran a security business and a nonprofit ministry.
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
