State lawmakers begin 2026 session honoring Hortman, statewide losses and grief

State lawmakers begin 2026 session honoring Hortman, statewide losses and grief



The Legislature started its first week of the 2026 session on a somber note.

MPR News host Clay Masters and the politics team break down Day One of the session, which lawmakers used as a day of remembrance for the late Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and a year colored by multiple tragedies across the state.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple PodcastsSpotify, or RSS, for a deeper dive into state politics.

Guests:

  • Brian Bakst is a politics editor for MPR News and host of Politics Friday.

  • Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.  

  • Peter Cox is a political correspondent for MPR News. 

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