Minnesota is mourning.
On June 14, former state Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were tragically assassinated in their home by alleged gunman Vance Boelter.
Another Democratic lawmaker, State Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife were also allegedly shot in their home by Boelter during the horrific outburst of political violence.
Seventy-four days later, two children were shot dead and 18 others were injured at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.
This combo from photos provided by Minnesota Legislature shows from left, Senator John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman.
As the state continued to grieve, another alleged politically motivated killing struck across the country in Utah when far-right influencer Charlie Kirk was assassinated earlier this month.
With tensions running high as Democrats and Republicans clashed over the glaring differences in responses to the two political assassinations, a special election took place to fill the slain Minnesota lawmaker’s seat.
On Sept. 17, former municipal city council member Xp Lee was declared the winner.
Lee—a neighbor of Hortman in Brooklyn Park—is preparing for his new role as he tries to honor the legacy of his late colleague and friend.
Daily Kos spoke with the newly elected State House representative.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I know it's been a busy time for you. You just came off of the election win. How are you feeling?
You know, it's a lot of emotions, but I feel really excited, and humbled, and honored to be able to win the seat, to keep it blue, to go to the capitol, and to learn and to work with my fellow DFLers (Democratic Farmer Labor party), to be able to, you know, get to the legislation that we need to try to pass, maybe this year and heading into next year.
This election is not typical. It has a little bit of a dark cloud over it following the murder of Melissa Hortman. What were your thoughts going into this election, stepping up to the role, and how it feels to fill in her absence?
Unfortunately, it’s dark and chaotic times we're living in right now, and it was a devastating loss, not just for the community, but for the state. And part of why I ran was that I couldn't think of a better way to honor her legacy than to win and to go to the Capitol to continue the work that she fought so hard to achieve in recent years, and then to expand and to gain wins in the coming years. So that's what I want to do, and now I'm able to do that, and have the opportunity to work with my fellow DFLers at the Capitol. Again, I feel humbled, appreciative. I have so much gratitude and appreciation for all my donors, and supporters, and volunteers, and campaign team, and everyone who came out and did a little, whether it's phone banking, or texting, or door knocking, or just sharing some of my posts on social media to support me. It really took everyone doing everything that they could to help me. And now I'm going to the Capitol, there's so much to learn, but I feel excited to be able to help continue the work that Melissa led.
You referred to her as a mentor and as a neighbor. Did you two have a relationship?
We got to know each other when my wife and I first moved into the neighborhood. We knew she lived here, so we were aware of her as the speaker, and then we met every now and then, when she was out walking her dog, Gilbert. When I decided to run for city council, I called her up and we had some phone conversations. So I got to know her a little bit more that way.
Melissa Hortman addresses colleagues after being re-elected for her third term in Jan. 2023 in St. Paul, Minn.
We met a couple of times, too, just talking about politics and campaigning. And then when I decided to step off of the council, we had a really good conversation just about the future of the community, and just touching base on politics and community conversation. So I got to know her well, that way. We didn't really talk a lot about politics and things happening at the Capitol, but, of course, I kept up on what was happening there through just news and other sources.
But yeah, we got to know each other well, and she was super supportive of my first run. And I'm sure she would have been super supportive of this run had it been under, you know, normal circumstances for me running for her seat.
You mentioned discussing changes in the community. And now, with her murder, with the increasing violence, the shooting at the Catholic school, there's been a lot going on. What has been the discussion between you, your family, your political colleagues?
My family and friends were definitely a little hesitant. And [they were] asking me, “Are you sure you want to jump into this?”
But I told them yeah. These are the moments in which you have to try to rise to meet them and not let the fear or the chaos take over so you can be a source of hope and action. I've always had a calm demeanor, and I'm a very relational leader. So I try to really make connections on a very personal level, getting to know folks. That has a very soothing effect. So that's the kind of quality I'd like to bring with me to the Capitol, to really network.
And then, of course, there's legislation around gun safety, gun sense, public safety, and mental wellness. There's a lot to learn, but I definitely want to go into the Capitol and to have those conversations again, with not just the DFL caucus, but also with the Republicans, to learn and then to try to move the needle on these issues.
Do you feel that, with your soothing presence, going into this really high-stress time, de-escalation is a part of your role?
I do. I do. It's a lot. There's a lot going on. And I feel like I have a great opportunity to, while I'm learning, to make really great connections, and then continue to connect folks with each other as well. You know, I love to build bridges, and then hopefully, through those connections, folks can find synergies within policy-making or just relationships. Even if certain policies may not move forward, hopefully relationships can, and that's really what helps to grease the wheel of the system, if you will.
I've said in my campaign that part of this is to heal our community, to bring folks together around the death of Speaker Hortman. And so I do feel a sense of responsibility to de-escalate and to make connections and to help heal as I head into the Capitol.
Do you feel like that's a similar message coming from your Republican and more conservative colleagues?
I haven't spoken with many of the Republican legislators.
My opponent and I were able to keep things really calm, and didn't do anything dirty or outlandish. So that was great.
She ran a really solid campaign. The only other person I was able to just have a brief connection with was (Republican) Representative Danny Nadeau, who represents the other half of my Senate District 34A.
And we met at the grand opening of our brand new Mississippi Gateway Park in Brooklyn Park. This was a great partnership at all levels … Just looking at that as an example of where hopefully we can use it as a stepping stone towards working together on other projects, right?
Not just the environment, but infrastructure, public safety, education, health care. So I hope to be able to replicate that success in other areas.
XP, thank you so much again for taking the time to speak with me.
Thank you so much for your time. And yeah, I look forward to maybe talking more as we move into the sessions and next year. So thank you so much.
