VTGOP Condemns Murder of Minnesota Democrat

Several outlets have reported that Democratic State Representative and former Speaker of the House in Minnesota, Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered last night in what appears to be a politically motivated killing.

VTGOP Chairman Paul Dame made the following statement,

”I condemn in the strongest terms possible the senseless killing of Democratic State Rep Melissa Hortman and her husband. It is a travesty and a shame that someone would needlessly take the life of any public servant, and the injustice seems to carry even greater weight as many of us are hearing about this on Father’s Day.

Speaker Hortman appears to be exactly the kind of person we need more of in state government; her facebook page represents someone who fought hard for what she believed in, and the people she represented - but was also willing to work towards a compromise when it became necessary, as it appears was the case with their budget vote last week. The New York Times said colleagues appreciated her “work ethic, negotiation skills and pragmatism.”

It is a shame that political discourse in our country has become so hyperbolic and toxic. While we have come to expect that at the Federal level, it is chilling to see it steeping into State-level politics where many public servants are only part-time politicians, and full-time community members.

I hope that state and federal authorities can swiftly bring to justice the murderer and that this person is given the maximum possible sentence under the law. Especially since it appears that other attacks are connected and there may be evidence of further threats. We are nearing a slippery slope of political unrest in this country and law enforcement needs to make examples out of people who would commit politically motivated killings that impede the ability of democratically-elected representatives to carry out the will of their voters. More must be done in this country to tone down the rhetoric and help people learn how to empower themselves using the legislative process instead of resorting to the kind of anger-fueled violence that rocked Minnesota this weekend. I am open to any kind of cross-partisan collaboration that can help us keep our republic and civil society functioning without these kinds of threats of lethal violence.”