Two female Illinois politicians say their names were listed in alleged Minnesota shooter's notes

Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune on Jun 17, 2025

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CHICAGO — A downstate congresswoman and a north suburban state senator are the first Illinois elected officials to publicly acknowledge being named in notes kept by the 57-year-old alleged shooter charged with assassinating the Democratic leader of the Minnesota House and her husband.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski on Tuesday said she was listed in what federal authorities described as “voluminous writings” found in the vehicle and home of Vance Boelter. Boelter faces federal and state charges in Saturday’s shootings that killed state House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and injured Democratic Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

While Illinois authorities have not publicly named any of the state officials who were named, Democratic state Sen. Laura Fine also acknowledged in a statement Tuesday that her name was among those that appeared on one of Boelter’s lists.

Budzinski, a two-term Springfield Democrat, wrote in a social media post, “On Sunday, I was informed by Capitol Police that my name was included in the Minnesota murder suspect’s note.”

Extending condolences to the victims’ families “and the entire Minnesota community,” Budzinski wrote: “As I’ve said before, there is absolutely no place in this country for political violence. We must be a nation that values civility and mutual respect — always.”

Budzinski declined to comment beyond the contents of the post.

A spokesperson for U.S. Capitol Police said the agency could not confirm the names of any potential victims.

“We have been working around the clock with our Congressional, federal, state and local partners to ensure that the members of Congress impacted by this terrible event have a strong security plan,” the agency said in a statement. “We continue to closely coordinate with the House and Senate sergeant at arms to enhance security for members of Congress.”

While declining to provide specifics, the agency said it would “focus on continuing intelligence sharing with our partners and providing proactive enhancements” to security.

Budzinski’s post came a day after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said his name was not among those of Midwest officials listed in Boelter’s notes and assured reporters at an unrelated news conference that “there is not a hit list that has Illinois politicians on it,” though he said there were “Illinois folks” whose names were listed in materials tied to Boelter that authorities recovered.

Illinois State Police said Monday that the agency was “communicating with individuals in Illinois whose names were on one of the lists found among” Boelter’s possessions. The agency declined to provide any additional information Tuesday.

State Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview, in the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on May 8, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) But in a statement to the Tribune, Fine, a longtime state legislator from Glenview, acknowledged she was among those named.

“I am very grateful to the Glenview Police Department and the Illinois State Police for their efforts in keeping me and my family safe,” said Fine, who is running in next year’s Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat. “We cannot let political violence become normal in our country.”

While authorities have not detailed Boelter’s alleged motives, The Associated Press has reported, based on unnamed law enforcement sources, that his writings also included the names of abortion rights advocates and health care facilities.

“I am proud of my leadership guaranteeing reproductive rights for all women in Illinois,” Fine said in her statement. “Now more than ever, we need leaders who will always stand up for our values.”

In federal court records unsealed Monday, authorities said they recovered from the SUV that Boelter left at Hortman’s home “several notebooks full of hand-written notes” that listed “the names of more than 45 Minnesota state and federal public officials,” including Hortman. The Minnesota officials listed were “mostly or all Democrats,” according to court records.

Authorities found more notebooks at Boelter’s home, and officials said at a news conference Monday that those documents also included the names of public officials from Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and other states.

Among those who’ve also acknowledged being listed in the writings are Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell of Michigan and Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, AP reported.

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