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Hortman assassination has legislators feeling exposed, looking for change

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Published  June 18, 2025 6:09pm CDT
Politics
FOX 9
Local lawmakers examine security measures after attack

Local lawmakers examine security measures after attack

Minnesota legislators are reconsidering how much personal information they should share after the deadly attack on state lawmakers. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the full report.

The Brief

    • The political motivation of the man who is suspected of assassinating Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman has lawmakers reconsidering how much access the public should have.
    • State laws require all campaign materials to include the campaign's address and a lot of candidates use their home address as campaign headquarters. For example, Melissa Hortman's home address is listed on her website and on all her campaign signs.
    • Legislators are also deciding whether to add more security at the Capitol, including if metal detectors and/or more officers are appropriate.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The man charged with assassinating Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark also targeted dozens of other DFL lawmakers, including Sen. John Hoffman, who was shot alongside his wife, Yvette.

Politics too dangerous?

Personal info in politics reconsidered

Personal info in politics reconsidered

After a suspected assassin allegedly tracked and targeted lawmakers as part of a coordinated attack, legislators are considering how much access the public should have to their personal information.

Publicly exposed:

The suspected gunman's apparent political motivation and the way he allegedly tracked his victims has people in both parties reconsidering how much access the public should have.

The job is a public one, but a lot of legislators are now wondering how much they should have to reveal.

For example, Melissa Hortman’s campaign address was her home address, so by law, it had to be posted on all her campaign materials.

Sen. Erin Maye Quade is still reeling from a weekend with a target on her back -- she was listed in the gunman's notebook -- so a new burglary at the Hortmans' overnight had her on edge Wednesday. 

"I think we all just feel exposed in a way that you just never consider," said Sen. Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley). "So that it's just a huge shift in your understanding of yourself in this world. And it's scary."

She’s worked as an abortion rights advocate for years and has often felt extremists trying to instill fear.

Take a chance on Erasure

Personal becomes private:

So she’s scrubbed her online presence using apps like DeleteMe.

She’s also hoping other legislators will help her rein in businesses making their personal data so easily available.

"There are data brokers that go through all of the different places where you might have data, and they'll compile it together," Sen. Maye Quade said. "I've never liked that. I have never thought that it should be allowed or legal and certainly that people shouldn't be making money off of it."

Speaker Lisa Demuth told FOX 9 she asked to have legislators’ addresses removed from state websites, where people could find most of them until late Saturday.

Campaign finance records are also more limited as of this week, although some of them still include home addresses.

And the Capitol may have a different look next session.

"We've been kind of thinking about whether we need to make changes around here, because as is obvious to everyone, the temperature in our politics is going up and up and up," said Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids).

Change at the Capitol

Secured for now:

Senate and House offices are closed to the public for now.

How long that lasts and whether they add metal detectors or other security measures at the Capitol are up in the air, but Rep. Stephenson says change is coming.

"I think that there is bipartisan consensus that some things need to happen," he said. "I don't think this is a partisan issue, and it shouldn't be."

Some of those changes could be visible by the next time the legislature is in session.

Others, like what information has to be publicly posted, would probably require new laws.

PoliticsCrime and Public Safety