Walz scrambled to alert lawmakers of threat while grieving loss of a close friend

Gov. Tim Walz woke around 4 a.m. Saturday to a call from his chief of staff, who delivered the news: Two Minnesota lawmakers, including one of the governor’s closest political friends, had been shot in their homes.

The state’s chief executive had little time to process. By 6 a.m., Walz and his team were at a newly formed emergency operations center frantically contacting legislators who were on a list of targets the alleged shooter left behind in his vehicle. They had no idea if the man now charged with killing Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting Sen. John Hoffman and his wife had visited other lawmakers in the middle of the night.

Walz was somber when he announced the “unspeakable tragedy” at a news conference a few hours later, wincing as he talked about the loss of the Hortmans. “Our state has lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends,” he said.

The second-term DFL governor had managed a global pandemic and widespread civil unrest, but he never had faced a crisis this personal.

“The person at the other end of this was a friend, and probably his closest political ally,” said senior Walz adviser Teddy Tschann.

Walz was elected governor the same year Hortman was elevated to the House speaker’s chair, putting them together in tough policy negotiations throughout his entire time in office.

Walz, who spent more than two decades in the National Guard, had to work through the shock of a horrific loss while helping oversee the largest manhunt in state history for the alleged killer, 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Walz was “at the head of the table” inside the emergency operations center, coordinating with public safety leaders and making decisions about how to communicate the situation to Minnesotans, said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson.

Walz wanted police welfare checks for state and federal legislators who could be in danger while Boelter was still at large, according to a source close to the governor.

Democratic U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith were among the first to hear from Walz about the lawmaker shootings early Saturday. Both senators were included on the shooter’s list of targets, which included many Democratic lawmakers and abortion providers.

“I could see that the governor had reached out to me very early in the morning,” said Smith, who woke Saturday to a “long list of text messages.”

Smith said she and Klobuchar reached out to the governor to learn more about what happened and what they could do to make sure others were safe.

Klobuchar said she spoke with Walz about the shootings at 5 a.m. She then informed other members of the congressional delegation, including Republican Rep. Tom Emmer and Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, and they worked together to issue a rare joint statement that condemned politically motivated violence.

As authorities searched for Boelter, Jacobson said he could tell the loss of the Hortmans and attempted slaying of the Hoffmans were weighing on the governor.

“There certainly was pain that you could feel coming from the governor, but I could also see that he was decisive and he wanted to make sure that we were doing the best job that we possibly could,” he said.

“The real trick in managing and leading through a crisis, especially when it hits so close personally, is to be able to keep an eye on the overall goal for an operation,” Jacobson added. “For him, you get into the mode where you know what you have to do for the state of Minnesota.”

Along the way, Walz dealt with insults from President Donald Trump and misinformation being spread by right-wing influencers who sought to blame him for the tragedy. Walz heard from Vice President JD Vance and former President Joe Biden over the weekend. He still hadn’t heard from Trump as of Tuesday.

A source close to the governor said the call with Vance was short, with the vice president expressing sympathies and Walz sharing appreciation for the partnership between federal and state law enforcement.

Biden told Walz the country was with him, the source said, and he talked about grief and the legacy of Hortman, whom he had previously met.

On Sunday night, a sense of catharsis set in for Walz and others when authorities arrested Boelter in Sibley County. Walz had been briefed throughout the night as authorities closed in on Boelter, according to a source close to the governor, and he was relieved when the alleged assailant was arrested without incident.

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were,” Walz said at a news conference shortly after the arrest.

“We’ll take solace in the memory and the work that Melissa did.”

The governor and First Lady Gwen Walz returned to the State Capitol the next day to lay flowers at a memorial for Hortman set up outside the House chamber. Walz shared a simple, heartfelt message to her on social media shortly afterward.

“Thank you, Madam Speaker.”