A portrait of DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman rests on her desk in the house chambers on June 27 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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In politics, oftentimes we only talk about differences between parties, ideologies, districts or priorities. Far less often do we talk about what unites us: service, responsibility and the belief that holding public office is a duty, not a stage.

Over the last few years, I had the opportunity to serve alongside Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. We came from opposite sides of the aisle. We disagreed on many policy issues. But through it all, we built something that seems to be increasingly rare in politics. Through weekly meetings, stories about our families, shared laughs and a desire to make our state a better place, we built a relationship rooted in respect.

Melissa was the quintessential public servant. She knew the rules, the issues and how to move policy forward. More than that though, she respected the institution and she led by example. She understood that serving in the Minnesota House was a privilege, and she led with that understanding every day she served.

When I became House minority leader in 2023, we worked closely through one of the most consequential legislative sessions in state history. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but we always saw each other. That mattered. It meant that even our strongest disagreements never turned personal. In our toughest negotiations, we could look across the table and know that we were both trying to do what we believed in our hearts was best for Minnesota.

Melissa was a constant reminder that politics don’t have to be mean to be effective. With her loss, our state lost a leader of deep conviction. Legislators on both sides of the aisle lost a colleague who earned their trust and respect and gave hers in return.

A lot of the time, we see outrage rewarded instead of outcomes, and the loudest voices valued over the most thoughtful ones. Decency is mistaken for weakness. Melissa never made that mistake. She was the only House speaker I’ve served under, and she taught me well how to lead in that way.

This year’s legislative session was historic in a lot of ways. From the moment we realized we’d be leading the House through only the second tie in state history, Hortman and I worked hard to show that you can fiercely debate policy and process while respecting the person on the other side of that debate. You can be principled and still be civil.

Melissa and I had very different viewpoints, but she never dismissed my perspective, and I never dismissed hers. That respect made room for real conversations instead of partisan talking points. In a divided world, that’s something worth fighting for.

I share this not to paper over our disagreements, but to highlight what’s possible when we remember that public service is about people. Melissa understood that, and she left that powerful example behind not just for her caucus, but for everyone.

I hope we honor her legacy by not only remembering what she accomplished, but how she accomplished it. With conviction, but also with kindness. With fierce determination, but also with the unfailing belief that our institutions only function when we treat each other with dignity.

As speaker, I will continue striving to uphold those values. I hope others will, too. Because as I saw in Melissa Hortman, and in our work together, politics can still be a place of deep purpose. It can still be a space where people with strongly held disagreements work together for the greater good. Now more than ever, that should be her legacy and our shared call moving forward.

Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, is speaker of the Minnesota House.