Like his fellow Minnesota lawmakers, Luke Frederick lost a friend and colleague over the summer.

The state representative, a Democrat from Mankato, worked with former House Speaker Melissa Hortman before her assassination June 14.

No one should be exposed to political violence, Frederick said Tuesday before signing a pledge to reject rhetoric that incites it. “Signing this today is an act to show that I’m committed to that,” he said.

Majority in the Middle, a civic engagement nonprofit, came up with the pledge in response to Hortman’s slaying. Lawmakers were invited to sign it during an event in Mankato coinciding with the nonprofit’s release of a new report measuring bipartisanship at the Minnesota Legislature.

The report is something of a barometer on how often Democrats and Republic

See Full Page