Melissa Hortman

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Melissa Hortman
Melissa Hortman 2012.jpg
61st Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
Preceded byKurt Daudt
Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byPaul Thissen
Succeeded byKurt Daudt
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 36B district
47B (2005–2013)
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2005
Preceded byStephanie Olsen
Personal details
Born (1970-05-27) May 27, 1970 (age 51)
Fridley, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
Spouse(s)Mark Hortman
Children2
EducationBoston University (BA)
University of Minnesota (JD)
Harvard University (MPA)

Melissa Hortman (born May 27, 1970) is an American politician and the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 36B, which includes portions of Anoka and Hennepin counties in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Prior to the 2018 elections, she served as Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Education[]

Hortman graduated from Blaine High School in Blaine, Minnesota in 1988. She earned bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from Boston University, graduating magna cum laude in 1991, earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude, in 1995,[1] and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2018.[2]

Minnesota House of Representatives[]

Hortman won her first term by narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Stephanie Olsen in the 2004 general election by 402 votes out of over 20,000 cast. She had previously lost to Olsen in the 2002 election. She has been re-elected every two years since then.

In her first term, Hortman was an outspoken advocate for the Northstar Commuter Rail line, which runs through her district. She also supported a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins. She has been an advocate of environmental issues and in the effort to bring the 2020 Summer Olympics to Minnesota. She is pro-choice,[3] supports gun control policies,[4] and opposes voter identification initiatives.[5] In 2008, Hortman managed the DFL floor operation during a successful attempt to override then-Governor Tim Pawlenty's veto of a gas tax increase.[6] She was chair of the House Energy Policy Committee during the 2013-14 biennium, and was the chief author of the state's solar energy standard and community solar laws.[7][8]

Hortman was elected by her peers to serve as assistant majority leader after the 2006 election, and served in that capacity through 2010. She was later elected as speaker pro tempore of the Minnesota House and served from 2013 through 2014. From 2017 through 2018, she was elected by her caucus to be minority leader.[9] After the DFL caucus gained enough seats in the 2018 election to retake the House majority, her colleagues elected her speaker of the house.[9][10]

Electoral history[]

Minnesota House of Representatives 47B district election, 2010[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Melissa Hortman (incumbent) 8,278 51.30 −3.44pp
Republican Linda Etim 7,030 43.56
Independence Don Hallblade 822 5.09
Minnesota House of Representatives 47B district election, 2008[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Melissa Hortman (incumbent) 12,382 54.74 −1.12pp
Republican Andrew Reinhardt 10,187 45.04 +1.04pp
Minnesota House of Representatives 47B district election, 2006[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Melissa Hortman (incumbent) 9,269 55.86 +4.96pp
Republican Andrew Reinhardt 7,301 44.00
Minnesota House of Representatives 47B district election, 2004[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Melissa Hortman 10,846 50.90 +7.30pp
Republican Stephanie Olsen (incumbent) 10,444 49.01 −2.66pp

Honors and accolades[]

Hortman has won awards for her bipartisan work from the 2020 Caucus.[15] She has also won awards from Conservation Minnesota.[16]

Personal life[]

Hortman is Catholic and has taught Sunday school in Blaine.[17][18]

References[]

  1. ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Hortman, Melissa". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  2. ^ "After engineering the DFL suburban wave, Melissa Hortman sets sights on 2019 legislative session". Twin Cities. 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  3. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
  4. ^ "2012 Candidate Grades (General Election) « Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance".
  5. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
  6. ^ Bierschbach, Briana. "Hortman brings experience, quiet irreverence to speaker's chair". www.mprnews.org. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  7. ^ "HF 729 Status in the House for the 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014)". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  8. ^ "HF 956 Status in the House for the 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014)". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  9. ^ a b "Hortman, Melissa". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  10. ^ Bakst, Brian (November 9, 2018). "New House DFL leaders hail from suburbs". Minnesota Public Radio.
  11. ^ "State Representative District: 47B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  12. ^ "All Races by Legislative District - Representative District: 47B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on December 17, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  13. ^ "State Representative District 47B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 3, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Results for State Representative District 47B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  15. ^ "News and Views from Melissa Hortman (DFL) 47B - Minnesota House of Representatives". House.leg.state.mn.us. 2005-10-07. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  16. ^ "Conservation Minnesota Voter Center || Legislative News". Mnweathercenter.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  17. ^ "About Melissa". Melissa Hortman for State House. 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  18. ^ "Hortman, Melissa - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.leg.mn.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-11.

External links[]

Minnesota House of Representatives
Preceded by
Paul Thissen
 Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
Kurt Daudt
Political offices
Preceded by
Kurt Daudt
 Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""