Melissa Hortman
Encyclopedia
Melissa Hortman is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
, representing District 47B, which includes portions of the cities of Coon Rapids
and Brooklyn Park
in Anoka
and Hennepin
counties in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area.
Hortman is a member of the House Civil Justice Committee and the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee, and also serves on three Finance Subcommittees: Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division, Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division, and Transportation Finance and Policy Division.
Hortman, a Democrat
, won her first term by narrowly defeating Republican
incumbent Stephanie Olsen in the 2004 general election by 402 votes out of over 20,000 cast. She had previously lost to Olsen in the 2002 election. She has been re-elected every two years since then.
In her first term, Hortman was an outspoken advocate for the Northstar Commuter Rail line, which runs through her district. She also supported a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins
. She has been a leader on environmental issues and in the effort to bring the 2020 Summer Olympics to Minnesota. She also led the house floor on an override of Governor Tim Pawlenty
's veto of new transportation funding in 2007.
After the 2006 election, Hortman was chosen by her peers to serve as one of eight assistant majority leader
s in the House. She was again chosen to serve in this capacity after the 2008 elections. She has also served as speaker pro tempore
for many of the House sessions. On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen
announced that she will be one of four Minority Whips during the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Hortman has won awards for her bipartisan work from the 2020 Caucus. She has also won awards from Conservation Minnesota.
Hortman graduated from Blaine High School
in Blaine, Minnesota
in 1988. She earned bachelors degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from Boston University
, graduating magna cum laude in 1991, and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School
, cum laude, in 1995.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
, representing District 47B, which includes portions of the cities of Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,627 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,718.1 people per square mile . There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of 1,007.2 per square mile...
and Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
According to the 2010 census, there were 75,781 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 52% White, 24% African American, 1% Native American, 15% Asian, 42 residents identifying themselves as Pacific Islander, 4% from other races, and 4% from two or more races...
in Anoka
Anoka County, Minnesota
Anoka County is the fourth-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest.As of 2010, Anoka...
and Hennepin
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
counties in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area.
Hortman is a member of the House Civil Justice Committee and the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee, and also serves on three Finance Subcommittees: Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division, Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division, and Transportation Finance and Policy Division.
Hortman, a Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, won her first term by narrowly defeating Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
incumbent Stephanie Olsen in the 2004 general election by 402 votes out of over 20,000 cast. She had previously lost to Olsen in the 2002 election. She has been re-elected every two years since then.
In her first term, Hortman was an outspoken advocate for the Northstar Commuter Rail line, which runs through her district. She also supported a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. She has been a leader on environmental issues and in the effort to bring the 2020 Summer Olympics to Minnesota. She also led the house floor on an override of Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
's veto of new transportation funding in 2007.
After the 2006 election, Hortman was chosen by her peers to serve as one of eight assistant majority leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
s in the House. She was again chosen to serve in this capacity after the 2008 elections. She has also served as speaker pro tempore
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
for many of the House sessions. On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen
Paul Thissen
Paul Thissen is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 63A, which includes south Minneapolis and Richfield in Hennepin County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. He is the current Minnesota House Minority Leader. He was first elected...
announced that she will be one of four Minority Whips during the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Hortman has won awards for her bipartisan work from the 2020 Caucus. She has also won awards from Conservation Minnesota.
Hortman graduated from Blaine High School
Blaine High School (Minnesota)
Blaine High School is a high school in Blaine, Minnesota: part of the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11. The school was opened in 1972, as part of the Blaine Project. The current principal is John Phelps. The school colors are blue and white, and the mascot is the Bengal Tiger.-Academics:Blaine...
in Blaine, Minnesota
Blaine, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,942 people, 15,898 households, and 12,177 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,330 people per square mile . There are 16,169 housing units at an average density of 477.6 per square mile...
in 1988. She earned bachelors degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, graduating magna cum laude in 1991, and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
, cum laude, in 1995.