SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Democrat Xp Lee won a special election in Minnesota on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to replace former Democratic caucus chair State Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was gunned down earlier this year at her home alongside her husband, Mark Hortman, also killed.
(Photo: Courtesy of Xp Lee campaign)
Minnesota's Xp Lee Wins Special Election to Fill Seat of Assassinated Democrat Melissa Hortman
“I have never lost sight of the situation that brought us to this moment, and I will work hard every day to carry forward Speaker Melissa Hortman’s legacy,” said Lee.
Sep 17, 2025
Democrat Xp Lee was elected to the US House of Representatives in a special election in Minnesota on Tuesday, filling the seat left vacant after former state House Rep. Melissa Hortman—alongside her husband, Mark—were the victims of a politically-motivated murder in June.
Lee, a state employee and union member who previously served on the Brooklyn Park City Council, beat Republican nominee Ruth Bittner, a local real estate agent who had never held public office before, in a district that has long favored Democrats and which Hortman held for two decades.
In a statement, Lee acknowledged Hortman as he solemnly referenced the political violence that led to the special election.
“I have never lost sight of the situation that brought us to this moment, and I will work hard every day to carry forward Speaker Melissa Hortman’s legacy,” Lee said. “We did our best to make her proud: knocking on doors daily, making phone calls, and texting every neighbor we could.”
"Now the real work begins," Lee said in a separate statement on Facebook. "Together, we will focus on delivering results—making sure families in Brooklyn Park, Champlin, and Coon Rapids have access to good schools, affordable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and strong economic opportunities."
The assassination of Hortman, a Democrat, shocked the state and the nation. In the early morning of June 14, an individual posing as a law enforcement officer came to the Hortmans' house and shot both Hortman and her husband. Vance Boelter, 57, faces both federal and state murder charges for the killing of the Hortmans as well as the attempted murder and other charges for a similar attack on the same day against Minnesota State Sen. John Hofmman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. Both John and Yvette Hoffman were shot, but survived, and the assailant also targeted their daughter, Hope Hoffman.
"I offer a heartfelt congratulations to Xp Lee on his victory in tonight’s special election," said Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin in a statement following the win.
"Xp's commitment to expanding access to education, affordable health care, and good-paying jobs honors the legacy of our dear friend, Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman," Martin added. "Across Minnesota, our hearts are still broken by the horrific assassination that stole Melissa and her husband Mark. Political violence is a scourge that has taken far too many lives. Enough is enough. It must end now. And in every case, each of us has a responsibility to condemn and reject political violence wherever it rears its head."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Democrat Xp Lee was elected to the US House of Representatives in a special election in Minnesota on Tuesday, filling the seat left vacant after former state House Rep. Melissa Hortman—alongside her husband, Mark—were the victims of a politically-motivated murder in June.
Lee, a state employee and union member who previously served on the Brooklyn Park City Council, beat Republican nominee Ruth Bittner, a local real estate agent who had never held public office before, in a district that has long favored Democrats and which Hortman held for two decades.
In a statement, Lee acknowledged Hortman as he solemnly referenced the political violence that led to the special election.
“I have never lost sight of the situation that brought us to this moment, and I will work hard every day to carry forward Speaker Melissa Hortman’s legacy,” Lee said. “We did our best to make her proud: knocking on doors daily, making phone calls, and texting every neighbor we could.”
"Now the real work begins," Lee said in a separate statement on Facebook. "Together, we will focus on delivering results—making sure families in Brooklyn Park, Champlin, and Coon Rapids have access to good schools, affordable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and strong economic opportunities."
The assassination of Hortman, a Democrat, shocked the state and the nation. In the early morning of June 14, an individual posing as a law enforcement officer came to the Hortmans' house and shot both Hortman and her husband. Vance Boelter, 57, faces both federal and state murder charges for the killing of the Hortmans as well as the attempted murder and other charges for a similar attack on the same day against Minnesota State Sen. John Hofmman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. Both John and Yvette Hoffman were shot, but survived, and the assailant also targeted their daughter, Hope Hoffman.
"I offer a heartfelt congratulations to Xp Lee on his victory in tonight’s special election," said Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin in a statement following the win.
"Xp's commitment to expanding access to education, affordable health care, and good-paying jobs honors the legacy of our dear friend, Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman," Martin added. "Across Minnesota, our hearts are still broken by the horrific assassination that stole Melissa and her husband Mark. Political violence is a scourge that has taken far too many lives. Enough is enough. It must end now. And in every case, each of us has a responsibility to condemn and reject political violence wherever it rears its head."
Democrat Xp Lee was elected to the US House of Representatives in a special election in Minnesota on Tuesday, filling the seat left vacant after former state House Rep. Melissa Hortman—alongside her husband, Mark—were the victims of a politically-motivated murder in June.
Lee, a state employee and union member who previously served on the Brooklyn Park City Council, beat Republican nominee Ruth Bittner, a local real estate agent who had never held public office before, in a district that has long favored Democrats and which Hortman held for two decades.
In a statement, Lee acknowledged Hortman as he solemnly referenced the political violence that led to the special election.
“I have never lost sight of the situation that brought us to this moment, and I will work hard every day to carry forward Speaker Melissa Hortman’s legacy,” Lee said. “We did our best to make her proud: knocking on doors daily, making phone calls, and texting every neighbor we could.”
"Now the real work begins," Lee said in a separate statement on Facebook. "Together, we will focus on delivering results—making sure families in Brooklyn Park, Champlin, and Coon Rapids have access to good schools, affordable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and strong economic opportunities."
The assassination of Hortman, a Democrat, shocked the state and the nation. In the early morning of June 14, an individual posing as a law enforcement officer came to the Hortmans' house and shot both Hortman and her husband. Vance Boelter, 57, faces both federal and state murder charges for the killing of the Hortmans as well as the attempted murder and other charges for a similar attack on the same day against Minnesota State Sen. John Hofmman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. Both John and Yvette Hoffman were shot, but survived, and the assailant also targeted their daughter, Hope Hoffman.
"I offer a heartfelt congratulations to Xp Lee on his victory in tonight’s special election," said Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin in a statement following the win.
"Xp's commitment to expanding access to education, affordable health care, and good-paying jobs honors the legacy of our dear friend, Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman," Martin added. "Across Minnesota, our hearts are still broken by the horrific assassination that stole Melissa and her husband Mark. Political violence is a scourge that has taken far too many lives. Enough is enough. It must end now. And in every case, each of us has a responsibility to condemn and reject political violence wherever it rears its head."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.