Local elected officials on Saturday condemned the shootings in Minnesota that left a state legislator dead and another wounded.
California state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-Santee) issued a joint statement with Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), saying “the shocking and tragic assassination and targeted political violence in Minnesota are sickening.
“The immutable truth is that there is no place for political violence in a democracy – none. No cause, no grievance, no election justifies the use of fear or force against our fellow human beings,” they said. “Let us never forget – we’re Americans first and we’re better than this. This nation must choose a different path.”
State Rep. Melissa Hortman, 55, the House’s Democratic leader and former speaker, was shot to death early Saturday in her Minneapolis-area home, along with her husband, by someone posing as a law enforcement officer.
Another prominent area lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, was shot and wounded, along with his wife, in their home about 15 minutes away, Gov. Tim Walz described the attacks as “targeted political violence.”
Like Jones and McGuire, other officials pointed to the spectre of violence aimed at those who hold office.
BREAKING: A Minnesota state representative and her husband were shot and killed and a Minnesota state senator and his wife were shot and wounded in an "act of targeted political violence" at their homes early Saturday, Gov. Tim Walz said.Read more: t.co/asuj0KPLgO pic.twitter.com/tXfJd182DE
— ABC News (@ABC) June 14, 2025Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, said he was “horrified” by the shootings in a post on X, adding that “political violence has no place in America.”
His colleague, Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat who represents parts of San Diego and Orange counties, said, “We’re a nation on edge. Violence is never the answer.”
“Political violence is unacceptable and a threat to our democracy,” another San Diego Democrat, Rep. Scott Peters, posted. “Every American must condemn this horrific act.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, said simply that she was “devastated” by shootings.
“We pray for their families. We grieve with Minnesota. We call for peace in our politics,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom added on X.
The shooting shocked officials in both parties in a Minnesota, a state that prides its politics as being “Minnesota nice,” despite higher partisan tensions in recent years. While Minnesota hasn’t voted for a GOP presidential candidate since 1972, and all of its statewide elected officials are Democrats. The Legislature is nearly evenly divided.
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, named the suspect at an afternoon news conference. Authorities continue to look for 57-year-old Vance Boelter and he had not yet been caught.
Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, state records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other.
A Minnesota official told The Associated Press that the suspect’s writings also contained information targeting prominent lawmakers who have been outspoken in favor of abortion rights.
The early morning attacks prompted warnings to other Minnesota elected officials and the cancellation of planned “No Kings” demonstrations against President Donald Trump. Authorities said the suspect had “No Kings” flyers in his car.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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