After Rep. Melissa Hortman’s assassination, her mentee takes up the mantle as House DFL leader

The Minnesota lawmaker chosen by his colleagues to replace Melissa Hortman as leader of House Democrats must now use the skills he learned as her protege to forge a path forward in a Legislature left reeling by her assassination.

DFL Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, knew Hortman his whole life and was schooled in her heads-down, straightforward style of politicking.

“There’s no replacing her, but she would want us to get up off the mat and get to work, and so that’s what we’re going to do,” Stephenson said recently from his office near the Capitol, just two weeks into the job.

Stephenson is aligning himself with Gov. Tim Walz, who is struggling to get buy-in on his plans to call lawmakers back for a special session on gun violence after Hortman’s slaying in June and the killing of two children at Annunciation Catholic Church and School last month.

“It’s worth remembering that the reason why you ... are talking to me right now and not someone else is because Melissa Hortman was killed in an act of gun violence,” he added.

He’ll attempt to strike deals on new gun restrictions and a host of other issues with Republicans in a tied Minnesota House while charting a path back to the majority for Democrats.

Stephenson knows about winning close elections. He’s survived four in his Coon Rapids-area swing district, winning the last one by less than 1,000 votes.

“That is going to serve him well as he takes the campaign leadership role in empowering our swing district members and swing district candidates that are looking to flip seats.”

Stephenson was a staffer on Amy Klobuchar’s first U.S. Senate race and served as Hortman’s campaign manager during her first successful run for the House in 2004. Stephenson, 41, went to law school and became an assistant prosecutor in Hennepin County before winning his first term in 2018. The married father of two represents a district that’s adjacent to Hortman’s former seat.

His closeness to the late longtime DFL leader likely helped him secure a spot leading the caucus as House Democrats steady themselves after one of the toughest sessions in memory. House DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, called Stephenson a tough negotiator.

“I think he’ll be formidable as a leader,” said Long, of Minneapolis, who also sought the job, “and I think we’re going to be a strong team moving forward.”

As he steps into Hortman’s old job, Stephenson said he can’t worry too much about political legacies and plans to focus on the task at hand. “Everything else will take care of itself,” he said.

Torkelson, a conservative southern Minnesota farmer, and Stephenson, the suburban prosecutor, often disagreed on policy. But Torkelson said they were both committed to pass a two-year budget deal.

“I would call him honest and forthright,” Torkelson, of Hanska, said, “but he certainly is a liberal in his thoughts and values and positions on the issues, just as I would not call myself necessarily a moderate.”

House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, worked closely with Hortman and will now face Stephenson in negotiations over a range of issues, including the state budget and gun-violence prevention. In a statement, she said she and Stephenson want to “do what’s right for Minnesota,” though they differ on how to do it.

“Seeing how he worked with both Speaker-Emerita Hortman and Chair Torkelson during the last legislative session gives me hope for bipartisanship and respectful negotiation during the upcoming legislative session,” Demuth said.

Stephenson said he and Demuth demonstrated their ability to work together during budget negotiations this spring.

Stephenson said one of his philosophies as a legislator is to always be willing to have the conversation, “even if you know someone’s not going to vote for your bill.”

“Maybe you can make your bill a little bit better even if you’re not going to get a vote. The goal here is to get the best possible result,” he said.

As Stephenson picks up the baton from Hortman, he said he’ll benefit from the work she did uniting House Democrats, a cultural shift he says will outlive her.