After MN shootings, Washington lawmakers push for peace: ‘This isn’t normal’

The shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers over the weekend sent shock waves throughout the country, with reverberations reaching the Washington state Legislature.

Authorities say that suspect Vance Boelter, who’s been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder, had impersonated a police officer when he fatally shot former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in their Minnesota residence. Boelter is also believed to have shot and injured Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in their home.

Washington state House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, a Tacoma Democrat, said she knew Hortman; the two had attended legislative conferences together. She called Hortman a great speaker and “an even better person.”

“The loss is hard,” Jinkins said with a catch in her voice during a Monday call.

The shootings come at a time of heightened political violence in the United States. And some Washington state leaders fear that the recent attacks could deter strong candidates from running for office.

In April, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to flee the governor’s mansion after a man set it ablaze in the middle of the night. Last summer, then-former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a campaign rally; another man was arrested in connection to an apparent plot to kill Trump in September.

At the scene of this weekend’s crime in Minnesota, authorities discovered an apparent target list with the names of some 70 lawmakers and community leaders, as well as advocates for abortion rights, according to The Associated Press. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s name reportedly appeared on the list as well.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a June 16 call that the shootings came as a total shock.

“It’s not too often my wife texts me about something going on nationally in the political world — and I got a text from her right away about it,” he said.

Ferguson is thankful for the security detail that he has as governor. But he noted that very few elected officials nationwide enjoy the same.

Over his two decades in politics, Ferguson said he’s noticed a significant shift in the overall political tone. The country has become more sharply divided, he said, adding that Trump’s rhetoric hasn’t helped.

During Father’s Day dinner on Sunday, the governor said he and his wife talked to their kids about what to do if someone knocks on the door in the middle of the night. He expects he’s not the only elected official having that talk with their families.

No one should resort to violence to address political disagreements, Ferguson said.

“This isn’t normal. It can’t ever be normalized,” he said. “We just always have to speak out about that from a clear moral standpoint.”

Security for WA lawmakers

The Department of Enterprise Service keeps 24-7 watch on the Capitol Campus and works closely with the Washington State Patrol on keeping it secure, a DES spokesperson said via email.

Security is an area that will certainly be worked on ahead of the next legislative session, Jinkins said. Firearms aren’t allowed on the Capitol Campus, and the House and Senate galleries have metal detectors — although the building itself does not.

Still, she pointed out that many politically violent acts aren’t happening in legislative buildings but in people’s homes or out in the community.

Jinkins, who has long fought for LGBTQ+ rights, said she’s fielded threats before. Other state lawmakers have also faced varying levels of threats, too.

“So figuring out how to help members be as secure as they feel like they need to be is something that will be a very high priority,” she said.

Many of the policies that Washington lawmakers have pursued or accomplished mirror what Hortman pushed for in Minnesota, she added.

Jinkins isn’t the only Washington lawmaker who knew Hortman.

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, a Seattle Democrat, said Monday that he worked closely with the former Minnesota House speaker in the past. The two were chair and vice chair of the drafting committee that rewrote the Uniform Parentage Act between 2015 and 2017, ultimately becoming good friends.

Pedersen recalled joining Hortman last year in lobbying the Massachusetts Legislature to pass the Parentage Act.

“I’m just going to miss her terribly, and it’s just kind of heart wrenching to think about how she and her husband died,” he said in a June 16 call.

Pedersen said he and Jinkins talked Monday about whether the law should be changed to let folks opt out of having their home addresses published to the world. They’ve also sought to verify that lawmakers can use campaign funds to cover security at their events if they want.

At times, Pedersen said that his husband, Eric, has worried about someone coming to try to attack him. The Democrat used to shrug off such fears: “Assassinations are for national political figures, not for the state Legislature.”

But today he wonders whether the Minnesota shooting was a one-off or the start of an awful trend.

“We’ve got to be thinking carefully and creatively about what we can do to make sure that being a candidate —being an elected official in our country — doesn’t become a matter of putting your life on the line,” he said. “Because I think we’ll just lose a lot of really great people who won’t be willing even to consider doing it.”

WA state leaders condemn political violence

The Washington Legislature’s four caucus leaders issued a joint statement condemning political violence after the Minnesota shootings, writing: “We are Americans before we are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents and as Americans we need to continue to stand for truth, decency, democracy, and freedom.”

Senate Minority Leader John Braun, a Centralia Republican, thinks it’s crucial to push back against all political violence, regardless of who’s behind it.

Braun said in a phone interview that Senate security has made some recommendations to lawmakers on how to stay safe. And he hopes the threat of violence doesn’t keep elected officials away from engaging in the community.

“Because that’s really how you stop this, is by getting out and talking to people and listening to people,” he said. “We can’t hide out and expect to solve this problem that way.”

Ferguson said that as a politician, it’s easier to speak to audiences who are applauding you than to those with folded arms. But the Democrat thinks it’s important to continue showing up to all parts of Washington for face-to-face conversations.

“I think it’s always helpful for folks to realize: ‘Hey, this politician is just another human being. They’ve got kids, they’ve got a life outside politics, they’ve got the same stresses we’ve got — and they’re just doing the best they can,’” he said.

Despite the recent political violence, some see signs of hope.

Pedersen cited this weekend’s peaceful “No Kings” rally in Seattle, which more than 70,000 people reportedly attended, as a good signal that the country isn’t devolving into chaos.

Likewise, Jinkins said she’s proud that — hours after Hortman’s killing — more than 5 million Americans gathered to protest.

“And, with very few exceptions, there was not violence,” she said. “That’s how we do it. That’s what we do.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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