FAMILIES.

♪♪ >> ERIC: HERE WITH US NOW, THE TWO MOST SENIOR MEMBERS OF MINNESOTA'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.

DEMOCRATIC U.S.

SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR TOOK OFFICE IN 2007.

SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO REPRESENT MINNESOTA IN THE U.S. SENATE.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN BETTY MCCOLLUM IS THE DEAN OF THE DELEGATION.

SHE HAS REPRESENTED THE 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SINCE 2001 AND WAS JUST THE SECOND WOMAN ELECTED FROM MINNESOTA TO SERVE IN THE U.S. HOUSE.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.

DEAN OF THE DELEGATION, TELL US HOW -- WAS IT DIFFICULT TO GET PROPER WORDING AROUND THE TEN PEOPLE IN THE DELEGATION SAYING, THIS WORDING IS RIGHT AND WE NEED TO HONOR HORTMAN AND WE NEED TO DECRY THE VIOLENCE AND SO FORTH?

>> WELL, I CALLED THE MEMBERS AND BROKE THE NEWS TO SEVERAL OF THEM.

AND THEN SENATOR KLOBUCHAR AND I SPOKE AND I SPOKE WITH REPRESENTATIVE EMMER AND JUST SAID, THIS IS A TIME WHERE WE HAVE TO SHOW OUR VALUES.

WE HAVE TO SHOW YOUR VALUES THAT VIOLENCE IS NOT THE WAY YOU SETTLE DIFFERENCES.

AND IT WAS -- IT WAS EASY.

IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY EASY.

>> Eric: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MEETING WITH MELISSA HORTMAN?

>> WAY BACK, I THINK SIMILAR TO BETTY, WHEN MELISSA WAS FIRST RUNNING.

I WAS JUST WATCHING OUR TAPE THERE AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I REMEMBER.

SHE HAD A FEW ELECTIONS WHERE SHE DIDN'T WIN.

I WAS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, CAMPAIGNED WITH HER, CAMPAIGNED A NUMBER OF TIMES.

WATCHED HER DOOR-KNOCK.

I MEAN, SHE KNEW PRACTICALLY EVERYONE IN THAT DISTRICT.

FOR SOME REASON, I JUST KEEP SEEING DORITOS AND YOUNG KIDS AND SHE WAS BALANCING, WHEN SHE GOT THERE, SHE WAS BALANCING LITTLE KIDS, BEING A GIRL SCOUT LEADER, BEING SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADER, AND HAD A BEAUTIFUL MARRIAGE WITH HER HUSBAND MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA, WHO BY THE WAY, THE OTHER DAY, THEY HAD HOURS OF MEMORIES ABOUT HIM FROM HIS WORK COLLEAGUES AT NVENT.

HE WAS A OOL PLAYER.

VERY GOOD, AND HE ALSO WAS A DIVER AND HAD AN INCREDIBLE LIFE HIMSELF AND I THINK WE SHOULD REMEMBER HIM FOR THE SAKE OF SOPHIE AND COLIN AND THEIR WHOLE FAMILY AS WELL.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE RIGHT.

IT'S NATURAL TO LOOK BACK I THINK AND RECOLLECT THE LAST THING THAT WE HAVE SAID TO SOMEONE WHO HAS PASSED.

AND I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID TO ONE ANOTHER THE LAST TIME YOU SAW SPEAKER HORTMAN.

>> WE WERE ON A PANEL TOGETHER.

I HAD -- AS AMY WAS POINTING OUT, I WAS PART OF THE RECRUITMENT TEAM BACK IN 1998 WHEN SHE WAS RUNNING.

AND SO MINDY GREILING AND I WHO WERE IN THE MINNESOTA HOUSE, WHO WAS IN LEADERSHIP, WE WOULD GO OUT AND DOOR-KNOCK WITH HER.

SO WE HAD A RELATIONSHIP THAT SPANNED ME RECRUITING HER TO TRY TO GET TO CONGRESS.

WE ALL MAKE FAMILY DECISIONS ANDS THE TIMING JUST WASN'T RIGHT.

BUT LATELY WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON BEING WITH MY STATE LEGISLATORS, SENATE AND HOUSE, IN MINNESOTA, TALKING ABOUT WHAT THE CUTS TO MEDICAID WAS GOING TO MEAN, THE CUTS TO S.N.A.P.

AND THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL AND THE RECONCILIATION.

AND SO WE WERE SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER AT A TOWN HALL IN STILLWATER.

NOT TOO LONG AGO.

BUT SHE WAS A GREAT LEGISLATOR.

AND WE WORKED ON A LOT OF FEDERAL ISSUES TOGETHER.

WE HELPED DEVELOP WHAT'S CALLED THE MINNESOTA FORWARD FUND TO BRING MORE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY HERE TO MINNESOTA.

AND SO I GOT O KNOW HER PERSONALLY, UT GOT TO WORK WITH HER PROFESSIONALLY.

>> Cathy: DID YOU SEE HER AT THE HUMPHREY MONDALE DINNER.

>> I DID.

BUT I'D CALL HER, SHE'D BE REALLY DIRECT.

I REMEMBER HER ON THESE DFL BUS TRIPS THE LAST FEW WEEKS BEFORE AN ELECTION.

EVERYONE SITTING THERE CALLING THEIR FRIENDS AND GOING OUT, GETTING THEIR SPEECHES READY.

SHE WOULD HAVE SPREADSHEETS ON HER LAP, LOOKING AT EACH HOUSE DISTRICT AND WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE AND WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN THERE.

AND THAT WAS PART OF HER MISSION.

SHE WANTED TO GET THINGS DONE.

SHE LED THE HOUSE TO GET FREE SCHOOL LUNCH AND WORK FAMILY LEAVE AND WAS AT THE HELM, AND THEN THIS LAST YEAR, I REMEMBER SEEING -- I HUNG WITH HER AND THE EPUBLICAN LEADER, LISA, IN THAT VERY ROOM THAT BETTY AND I WERE JUST IN FOR A BIG HALF HOUR BEFORE WE WERE ALL ON YOUR SHOW TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING SESSION.

SO THIS YEAR WAS A TRUE TEST WITH THAT POWER-SHARING ARRANGEMENT.

AND THEY WERE STILL ABLE TO GET A BIT BUDGET.

SO SHE WAS JUST THIS REMARBLABLE LEADER WHO SOMEHOW CAME FROM JUGGLING EVERYTHING AS A MOM TO JUGGLING EVERYTHING WITH ALL THESE COALITIONS AND GETTING EVERYTHING DONE AND HER COLLEAGUE ZACH STEPHENSON WAS SAYING THE THER DAY, EVERY TIME SHE WAS HIT DOWN ON THE MAT, SHE GOT UP AND THAT DEFINED HER.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO YOU THINK WERE UNIQUE QUALITIES ABOUT SPEAKER HORTMAN'S LEADERSHIP?

>> SHE WAS A MEMBER'S MEMBER, AND A LEGISLATOR.

SO SHE KNEW HER CAUCUS.

SHE KNEW THEIR STRENGTHS.

SHE KNEW THEIR WEAKNESSES AND THASHE WORKED TO DEVELOP THEIR WEAKNESSES INTO STRENGTHS AND YOU HEAR THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN WHEN YOU TALK TO MINNESOTA HOUSE MEMBERS.

WU ALL TALK ABOUT BEING HOUSE BROKEN.

I WENT TO HE BIG HOUSE BUT I'M STILL IN THE HOUSE.

BUT SHE WASN'T AFRAID TO SHARE POWER.

SHE WASN'T AFRAID TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE.

AND THAT'S WHAT MADE HER SUCH A WONDERFUL LEADER.

SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT.

WE WOULD BE OUT DOING DOOR KNOCKS STANDING IN THE BACK BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO SEE THE LEGISLATORS WHO WERE OUT THERE RUNNING, PRACTICE THEIR SPEECHES, BEFORE THEY WENT DOOR KNOCKING.

AND THEN WE'D TAKE THEM ASIDE AND MAYBE GIVE A CRITIQUE OR TWIN METALS, BUT SHE WAS A MEMBER'S MEMBER, ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR THEIR WELFARE AND THAT'S WHY THERE WILL BE SUCH A BIG HOLE IN EVERYBODY'S HEART THAT'S GOING TO NEED TO BE MEMBEREDDED.

>> Eric: WE ALL SAY THERE'S NO PLACE FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE, AND YET IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S PART OF THE DEAL THESE DAYS.

>> WE HAVE SEEN THESE INCREASE IN THREATS AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE, JUDGES.

IN THE CONGRESS, WE'VE GONE FROM 1900 IN 2016 TO JUST LAST YEAR, OVER 9,000 THREATS.

AND THIS IS ON BOTH SIDES.

AISLE.

AND I THINK SOME OF IT IS THE INTERNET.

AND I'VE BEEN A BIG BOOSTER OF TRYING TO GET SOME RULES OF THE ROAD IN PLACE, THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNBALANCED READ THIS STUFF AND THEY BELIEVE IT AND THEY GO OUT AND DO HORRIBLE THINGS.

I THINK THE WAY THAT CONGRESSWOMAN MCCLUNG, CONGRESSMAN EMMER, SENATOR SMITH AND I AND ALL OF OUR DELEGATION COME TOGETHER, WE NEED TO SEE MORE OF THAT, CONDEMNING VINYLS TOGETHER.

I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE MORE SECURITY OF MEMBERS.

I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

BUT OVERALL, JUST PEOPLE NEED TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR, WHO IS SAYING THIS KIND OF STUFF, BECAUSE IT GETS AROUND, AND AGAIN, WHETHER IT IS THE ATTEMPT ON SPEAKER PE LOS WRITE'S HUSBAND, THE BLUDGEONING, WHETHER IT IS THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP, WE'VE JUST SEEN WAY TOO MUCH OF THIS.

>> Eric: ARE THERE FRIENDSHIPS ACROSS THE AISLE IN THE HOUSE?

>> THERE ARE.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE IN VERY EXTREME RHETORIC.

SOMETIMES VIOLENT TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER.

AND THERE'S A GROUP OF US ACROSS THE AISLE THAT CAN AGREE WITH -- ITHOUT BEING DISAGREEABLE, THAT CAN STICK TO THE FACTS, BECAUSE WE KNOW AS LEADERS, AS TEACHERS, AS MENTORS, OUR WORDS HAVE POWER.

AND IF WE HOOSE TO GO DOWN THE PATH OF NOT TALKING TO EACH OTHER ITH CIVILITY, WE SET THE TABLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OR FOR SOMEONE AT A TOWN HALL TO DO THAT.

AND I THINK BEING A FORMER SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, I BRING A LOT OF THAT WITH ME TO CONGRESS.

AND SO WE STRIVE TOWARDS THAT AND I THINK OUR DELEGATION IS REALLY GOING TO REFLECT ON HOW WE PROJECT HE VALUE OF CIVILITY BECAUSE WE NEED TO BRING THAT BACK.

>> Cathy: WELL, YOU KNOW, SENATOR SMITH WENT UP AND TALKED TO SENATOR LEE ABOUT, WORDS DO HAVE POWER AND YOU ALSO TALKED TO HIM ABOUT HIS DISTASTEFUL TWEETS.

>> REALLY BAD STUFF OUT ON THE INTERNET.

BASICALLY.

MOCKING THIS SITUATION.

AND I JUST TOLD HIM, T WASN'T ONE BIT FUNNY.

TINA SPOKE VERY FORCEFULLY WITH HIM.

AND SO WHEN THE NEXT DAY, WHEN I TALKED TO HIM ON THE PHONE, SHE SAID HE WAS GOING TO TAKE IT -- HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO TAKE IT DOWN, HE DID AND I DO THINK WE HAVE TO CALL THIS STUFF OUT WHEN IT HAPPENS.

IT IS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL WHEN PEOPLE WITHIN THEIR OWN PARTIES CALL IT OUT TOO, BECAUSE PEOPLE WATCH AND THEY LISTEN, AND AS BETTY SAID, IT'S N ALL OF U.S. AS LEADERS.

COURAGE IS WHETHER YOU'RE WILLING TO STAND NEXT TO SOMEONE YOU DON'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THIS COUNTRY.

>> Eric: YOU TWO FEEL SECURE?

DO YOU HAVE SECURITY?

OR IS IT CAPITOL ENOUGH?

>> I HAVE THE ENTIRE ST. PAUL POLICE DEPARTMENT.

ALL THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE WONDERFUL MEMBERSHIP AREA, RAMSEY AND WASHINGTON COUNTY, I -- WE AS THE PUBLIC ARE WELL CARED FOR.

>> I THINK RIGHT NOW AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THE MANHUNT AND EVERYTHING THAT HATCHED.

FOR ME, THIS LAST WEEK HAD HAS BEEN ABOUT INNOCENCE AS NON-ELECTEDS.

WE HAD SECURITY DURING THAT TIME, BUT THE FACT HE WAS OUT AND NO ONE KNEW WHO HE WAS GLON HIT NEXT AND THE FACT THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT APPREHENDED HIM LIKE THEY DID -- >> Eric: WE'LL PICK UP THE STORY FROM THERE.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING OVER