The Maine House of Representatives this year has sometimes been a venue for searing political rhetoric and partisan hostilities. But on Wednesday, state lawmakers paused briefly to honor the memory of slain former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and also to warn against the precipice of political violence.
Rep. Matt Moonen, the Democratic majority leader, is known around the Maine Legislature as a fierce partisan. His public displays of sentiment are rare, often eclipsed by a businesslike commitment to the Democratic cause.
But the assassination of the Hortmans in their home by a gunman posing as a police officer shook the Portland lawmaker — and not just because of the horrific manner in which they were killed.
It's because the Hortmans once welcomed him into their family during a retreat for legislative leaders from around the country held by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
"Everyone was allowed to bring spouses, kids, whatever, for this weeklong retreat," he said. "And all eight of them did, except for me. And not only was Melissa there, but also her husband, Mark, and her daughter Sophie. And since I was alone for a week, Melissa and Mark and Sophie were very, very kind to invite me to join them for dinners, lunches, drinks throughout that week."
Moonen didn't have a plus-one that week, but he had the Hortmans. And they all had Minnesota. Moonen has family there.
"So we bonded over our love for that great state, our love for the work that we do in our respective legislatures," he said.
Authorities in Minnesota have described the murders of Hortman and her husband, as well as the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, "as the stuff of nightmares." They say the alleged gunman had a hit list of 45 other elected officials — all Democrats.
But as Moonen spoke from the House floor, he didn't dwell on the victims' party affiliation or the motives of the gunman. Instead he described what he had learned about Melissa.
"She is — was — smart, kind, funny. Relentless," he said.
Relentless may also be a way to describe the descent of the American political discourse, a toxicity that has sometimes made its way into the Maine Legislature, including this year.
It's bad enough that lawmakers sometimes worry about violence and they have taken steps to harden security around the State House.
It's a concern made more acute after the Minnesota killings; officials recently removed the addresses of elected officials from the legislative website. This week copies of the legislative register were removed from their typical locations around the State House, where anyone from the public could get one.
All of this has made political leaders in both parties uneasy. On Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats came together to unanimously honor those slain in Minnesota and to warn against political violence.
"This is a moment of deep sorrow and a powerful wakeup call for all of us," said Republican minority leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, of Winter Harbor.
"Political disagreements are part of democracy, but hatred, violence and dehumanization have no place in the American public life," he added.
Democratic House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, who also met Hortman, used different words, but it was the same message.
"But I hope — and I think Melissa would as well — that what we learn from this is that we cannot continue to normalize this contempt we have for each other, this contempt that we have for another party. And that we will not normalize political violence in this nation," he said.
