We need 1,000 Melissa Hortmans right now

I once naively believed that the worst kind of loss in politics was at the ballot box.

I learned the hard way about real loss in October 2002, when Sen. Paul Wellstone’s plane went down while he was traveling the state doing his job as U.S. senator and running for reelection.

That loss shook the state and devastated his supporters. Many people said to me, “Paul spoke for me. Who will speak for me now?”

But after some of the grief and mourning settled, something amazing happened. People turned the loss into a call for action. “Stand Up, Keep Fighting” was the motto, and a whole new generation stepped into politics declaring that they were ready to pick up where Paul Wellstone left off.

As I try to process the horror of the assassination of Speaker Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman, the incredibly moving message from their kids Sophie and Colin Hortman brought me back to those days after 2002. They wrote a list of activities we can do to honor Mark and Melissa, and here was the final item: “Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.”

To that I say yes! That is exactly what we must do.

Sometimes a leader comes along who turns out to be the right person in the right place and time. Paul Wellstone was that person. Melissa Hortman was that person. Melissa’s impact on Minnesota and its people is huge. She was authentic, principled and strategic, not to mention funny, smart and relatable. These are ingredients for the best leaders. She built governing power by finding and encouraging a generation of community leaders around Minnesota to run for legislative office. The majorities she led governed justly, boldly and with compassion, through significant change and turmoil, finding the common good. Her hard work has put Minnesota in a good place and ready to take on the future.

She was stolen from us just as she was really getting going. That is just heartbreaking.

But, in her leadership time here, she set a beautiful example, and always did right by Minnesota.

So, just as with Wellstone two decades ago, we now need a thousand Melissa Hortmans. We need people to step up where she left off. People who get to climb on Melissa’s shoulders, get in there, fight for people and make a difference.

People who will volunteer to serve their neighbors, knock on doors, join a local board, march in a rally, and, yes, run for office. And, once in office, to lead with integrity and courage.

Will that be you?

Sophie and Colin say it better: “Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something.”