Senate District 53 DFL

I am absolutely devastated by the loss of my friend, Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Melissa was a force for good and a dedicated public servant who devoted her career to improving the lives of Minnesotans. My heart breaks for their children, family and loved ones as we grieve this unimaginable loss. Cheryl and I continue to keep them and their entire community in our thoughts. Our prayers are also with Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette as we hope for a full recovery.

Our statement on the assassination of our Speaker, Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. “We are shocked and devastated at the shootings of our colleagues, and at the assassination of our Speaker, Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. This is an unspeakable act of political violence that should never happen in the United States of America. “Melissa was an incredible leader who dedicated her life to public service. She led our caucus with integrity, grace, and with determination to improve people’s lives. We are holding in our hearts Melissa and Mark’s families, their friends, their legislative family, and all who knew and loved them. “Melissa talked a lot about following the Golden Rule, and the value that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ She felt she had the ability and the obligation to serve others. And serve others she did. Minnesota is an immeasurably better state because Melissa Hortman chose to serve. Generations of Minnesotans will be better off thanks to her leadership. She was a dear friend to so many, and this caucus will miss her and Mark greatly. “We are also thinking about Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We are grateful to law enforcement and the first responders who responded to these horrific acts, and we thank them for the ongoing work to apprehend the suspect and keep Minnesota’s public servants safe.”

🚨 Breaking news: According to new polling from KSTP, 55% of Minnesotans think Republicans should adopt a power-sharing agreement with Democrats.

Great 🍀speaking with @um4hleaders and @UMNExtNR @UMNExt Leaders today about public education, academic 🔬freedom, sharing non-biased publicly 💵funded 📓research and the critical importance of life-long learning being essential for a free society 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸#mnleg #4H #Extension

I’m getting thousands of calls. We’re trying to answer as many as we can/keep our voicemail inbox clear. Senate phones are having tech issues, but Minnesotans can still reach me below. There’s a lot happening. People are worried. I want to hear from you. smith.senate.gov/share-your-opi…

yup.

An unelected billionaire now has unprecedented access to U.S. citizens' Social Security, tax returns, and even veteran benefits. This is an alarming breach of trust and privacy.

Kim and Paige Westra visited my office on Capitol Hill this week to hand deliver some very important reading material – letters from Kim’s 4th grade students in Inver Grove Heights! Big thank you to Kim and to all of #MN02’s hardworking teachers. Can’t wait to read them!

Gov. @Tim_Walz: “While [Trump] was out golfing, he threw the country into crisis.”

It only took one week for Donald Trump to plunge us into a national crisis.

This order is illegal, let's start there. It will be challenged in court. But not only that—it appears to halt funding for police departments, counter-terrorism, and counter drug-trafficking programs. This is making us unsafe.

Today is a solemn day of remembrance for the millions murdered in the Holocaust.   On the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we look to our history as a warning against the dangers of antisemitism and intolerance and honor the promise: never again.

We have received word from two #MN02 cities that they have been notified by DOJ that their COPS grants to local law enforcement have been put on hold. Withholding critical funding approved by Congress to hire police officers makes #MN02 communities less safe.

Big farm crowd at 🌾Small Grains Markets Workshop🌾 with over 200 people looking for diversified crops. 🌱🇺🇸☀️🌻🌾livestock and healthy agriculture🐝@LSPnow #mnleg #oats #biodiversity #agriculture #Regenerativefarming ✅alseed.com ✅landstewardshipproject.org/smallgrainwork…

🎉Happy New Year!🎉Thank you to all of the New Years Day volunteers who came to our People for Hansen 2025 Fundraiser ❄️today!🎁🇺🇸@electmnhousedfl @MinnesotaDFL @sd53dfl votehansen.com/donate

President Jimmy Carter was one of our nation’s most dedicated public servants and a tireless advocate for working people. He taught generations of Americans what it means to give back to your community. May his dedication to our country be an inspiration for years to come.

Over six decades, Jill and I had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.

President Carter defined what it means to be a servant leader. He fought for our democracy, our climate, humanity, and civil rights around the world. We can find peace today knowing that he is reunited with the love his life, Rosalynn.