Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz set Sept. 16 as the date for a special election to fill the seat of former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated in her home last month.
Primaries, if necessary, will be held Aug. 12 for the seat in District 34B. Candidates must file before July 22. Democrats have held the seat since 2018, CBS News reported.
Hortman served in the Minnesota House since 2004. She was reelected by 26 points over her Republican challenger in 2024. State law dictates the seat must be filled before the next legislative session.
So far, Brooklyn Park City Council Member Christian Eriksen said he will seek the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement for the seat. No GOP candidates have announced a run as of yet.
Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14 in what police called a politically motivated attack. Vance Boelter was arrested and charged in the slayings after an extended manhunt.
“This was a political assassination,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
Police allege Boelter also shot and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, in their home in Champlin, Minnesota.
Federal prosecutors charged Boelter, 57, with murder and stalking, which could result in a death sentence if convicted. He also faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Hortman was speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019-25.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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