Democrats in Minnesota kept the seat held by slain former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman in a special election Tuesday night, deadlocking the legislature’s lower chamber at 67 seats for each party.
Xp Lee, a former city council member for the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, defeated Republican candidate Ruth Bittner by nearly 22 percentage points, according to data from the Minnesota secretary of state’s office.
Hortman, 55, was shot and killed along with her husband at their home in a targeted attack on June 14.
Democrat Xp Lee won the Minnesota House District 34B special election on Sept. 16, 2025. APProsecutors have charged suspect Vance Boelter with six federal felonies, including two counts of murder, two firearm offenses and two counts of stalking. He is also facing state charges of murder and attempted murder.
In addition to assassinating the Hortmans, Boelter, 57, is accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, both of whom survived the attack.
Authorities found a list of 70 names inside Boelter’s vehicle, including the identities of Democrats and abortion providers.
Hortman had served as speaker of the state House from 2019 until January of this year, after Republicans gained enough seats to be evenly split with Democrats in the chamber.
Republic candidate Ruth Bittner speaks to a potential voter while knocking on doors in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Aug. 28, 2025. AP
Suspected gunman Vance Boelter is arrested after a manhunt for the alleged assassin on June 15, 2025. Ramsey County Sheriff's OfficeDespite the split, Republican Lisa Demuth managed to clinch the role of Minnesota’s state speaker of the House via a powersharing agreement between the two parties. Meanwhile, Democrats have a slim majority in the state Senate.
Lee, whose family fled the Vietnam War, explained that he was inspired to run to carry on Hortman’s legacy after her murder.
“I wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t for the murder of Melissa Hortman. So, I am very conscious of political and gun violence. So, I want to help our community heal,” he said.
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. via REUTERS
Pallbearers carry the caskets of Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at the Basilica of Saint Mary’s in Minneapolis on June 28, 2025. REUTERSLee’s victory comes as the country reels from another political assassination, that of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah.
Authorities have formally charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with Kirk’s murder, with prosecutors saying he targeted the Turning Point USA co-founder over his statements about transgender people.
