Massachusetts lawmakers condemn political shootings in Minnesota as "horrific"
Governor Maura Healey led Massachusetts lawmakers in condemning the shootings of state politicians and their spouses in Minnesota on Saturday.
"It is not who we are"
"I'm horrified to hear about the shootings in Minnesota. Lawmakers and their loved ones getting shot for their beliefs is yet another sickening act of political violence in a country where it's become all too common. I'm holding the family of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in my heart and praying for the full recovery of Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. This is not normal. It is not who we are as Americans, and we must all condemn political violence in the strongest possible terms," Healey said in a prepared statement.
Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded in politically motivated shootings early Saturday morning.
Massachusetts lawmakers outraged
Many in Massachusetts expressed their outrage over the shootings.
"This is political violence, pure and simple, and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by every leader in this country. America's founders envisioned a country where we address our differences through debate, not violence. We must continue to use our voices to keep advocating for the country we dream to be, even as acts of political violence seem more common," said Massachusetts 365bet官方网站 President Karen E. Spilka.
Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan called the shootings "horrific."
"I join leaders of both parties in stating, once and for all, that acts of politically motivated violence have no place in America," Kerrigan said.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano said he was "appalled and heartbroken" by the shootings.
"Political violence of any kind has no place in America, nor does the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that can often incite that violence. This is not the America that we want for ourselves and for future generations. We must all strive for something better," Mariano said.
