Melissa Hortman Assassination Recalled After Charlie Kirk Shooting

Social media users reignited discussion of June’s assassination of former Minnesota House speaker Melissa Hortman after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

The renewed focus highlights ongoing concerns about political violence in the United States and criticism of selective public and political reactions.

Social Media Surge

• Melissa Hortman’s name trended on Google and X as users contrasted responses to her assassination in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on June 14, 2025, with reactions to Charlie Kirk’s shooting at UVU​​.
• Some commentators accused conservative circles of ignoring Hortman’s death, calling it a right-wing-motivated attack that warranted the same level of outcry​​.

Official and Political Responses

• Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown followed Washington Governor Bob Ferguson’s half-staff directive for victims of political violence-Honoring Hortman and her husband Mark alongside other recent targets​​.
• President Donald Trump condemned political violence after Kirk’s shooting but did not publicly acknowledge Hortman’s assassination, drawing bipartisan criticism​​.

Background

In the early hours of June 14, 2025, a gunman impersonating a police officer entered Melissa Hortman’s Brooklyn Park home and fatally shot her and her husband, Mark, in what authorities deemed a politically motivated assassination. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were wounded in a similar attack that morning​. Hortman, who served as Minnesota House speaker from 2019 to 2025, was remembered for her legislative leadership and community involvement. Her death sparked the largest manhunt in Minnesota history and prompted discussions on legislator security.