Minnesota House Democrats select Zack Stephenson to lead after Melissa Hortman’s assassination

Minnesota House Democrats chose Rep. Zack Stephenson to replace slain DFL Leader Melissa Hortman as head of the caucus in a private vote Monday, selecting a close ally of the late leader.

Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, got his start in Minnesota politics working on Hortman’s campaigns and was elected to the House in 2018. He serves as the Democratic co-chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

As caucus leader, he’ll guide House Democrats through the upcoming legislative session and next year’s election.

He takes charge in a fraught political climate in Minnesota. Democrats and Republicans in the House are likely to once again be tied after a special election next week to fill Hortman’s seat representing the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. Next year, both parties will try to capture control of the Legislature with the entire House and Senate up for re-election.

In a statement, Stephenson said he was honored by the support from his colleagues and called Hortman “irreplaceable — as a leader, a strategist, a colleague and a friend.“

“While I’ve been chosen to lead, it will take all of us, working together, to move forward, honor Speaker Hortman’s legacy, and build a Minnesota where everyone can succeed,” Stephenson said. “We are all still grieving, but I am confident we can carry our shared work into the future.”

Hortman was shot and killed in her Brooklyn Park home in June along with her husband, Mark Hortman. Their alleged killer, Vance Boelter, is also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, the same night. The Hoffmans survived their injuries.

“It’s not an easy job under any circumstances,” Winkler said ahead of Monday’s vote, “and I think the next leader of the House DFL is going to have a particularly hard challenge in providing the same level of battle-tested leadership that Melissa Hortman did.”

Stephenson may have to shepherd House Democrats through a special legislative session almost immediately after assuming the role.

Gov. Tim Walz is planning for a potential special legislative session to deal with gun violence after a shooter killed two children and injured 21 more adults and children at Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis. With the House likely to be tied and Senate Democrats holding a one-vote majority, any legislation needs bipartisan buy-in to pass.

When the Legislature returns in February, Stephenson will have to work with House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, on a myriad of issues from authorizing bonds for state infrastructure projects to any adjustments needed to the two-year budget lawmakers passed this spring.

Hortman and Demuth forged a close relationship this spring as they worked to balance the state budget and reduce a looming deficit.

She was known among colleagues as a no-nonsense workhorse who knew the issues and always came prepared with thorough questions on policy. While she worked across the aisle, she was also known to have a sharp tongue when she disagreed.

This spring, when Republicans demanded legislation removing undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare, the state’s health insurance for the working poor, Hortman was the sole Democratic vote in favor of the bill in the House. She didn’t agree with the choice, but she said she took the vote to honor a compromise with House Republicans to pass a budget and avoid a government shutdown.

Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, who co-chairs the House People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, said in a statement that the House Democrats stand “strong, united and ready to meet this pivotal moment for our state and nation.”