Steve Simon (born December 12, 1969) is an American politician from the state of Minnesota serving as the 22nd Minnesota Secretary of State. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he previously represented District 46B in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Steve Simon
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| 22nd Secretary of State of Minnesota | |
| Assumed office January 5, 2015 | |
| Governor | Mark Dayton Tim Walz |
| Preceded by | Mark Ritchie |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 46B district 44A (2005–2013) | |
| In office January 4, 2005 – January 5, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Rhodes |
| Succeeded by | Cheryl Youakim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1969-12-12) December 12, 1969 (age 54) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Leia Christoffer |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Tufts University (BA) University of Minnesota (JD) |
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Simon graduated from Hopkins High SchoolinMinnetonka, then went on to Tufts UniversityinMedford, Massachusetts, receiving his B.A. in Political Science in 1992. He earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996. He worked as an assistant attorney general for Minnesota attorneys general Hubert H. Humphrey III and Mike Hatch from 1996 to 2001, and has been an associate with the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi since 2001.[1][2]
Simon was first elected in 2004, and was re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
On Monday, May 2, 2011, Simon testified regarding and opposed a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Minnesota. His comments drew national attention: "How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?"[3]
On August 6, 2013, Simon announced his candidacy in the 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election.[4] He narrowly defeated Republican nominee Dan Severson. In 2018, Simon was reelected by a fairly large margin over Republican nominee John Howe. In 2022, he was reelected over Republican nominee Kim Crockett by an even larger margin. As of 2023, Simon has never lost an election.
Steve Simon is married to Leia Christoffer Simon, and they have two children together. Active in his local community, Simon is a member of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce, the American Cancer Society, the local League of Women Voters, the St. Louis Park Community Education Advisory Council, and the Lenox Foundation, which raises funds for the St. Louis Park Senior Program. He is a member of Temple Israel, serves on the board of the Minnesota Chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and is an attorney.[1][2][5]
| Minnesota House of Representatives District 44A Election, 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon | 11,643 | 55.55 |
| Republican | Jim Rhodes | 9,272 | 44.23 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 46 | 0.22 |
| Minnesota House of Representatives District 44A Election, 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon (inc.) | 10,886 | 70.21 |
| Republican | Jason Van Buren | 4,590 | 29.60 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 29 | 0.19 |
| Minnesota House of Representatives District 44A Election, 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon (inc.) | 14,394 | 68.54 |
| Republican | Tracy Leahy | 6,553 | 31.20 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 53 | 0.25 |
| Minnesota House of Representatives District 44A Election, 2010 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon (inc.) | 9,538 | 65.36 |
| Republican | Stephen Manderfeld | 5,031 | 34.48 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 24 | 0.16 |
| Minnesota House of Representatives District 46B Election, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon | 14,956 | 69.98 |
| Republican | David Arvidson | 6,372 | 29.81 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 45 | 0.21 |
| Minnesota Secretary of State DFL Primary Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon | 65,634 | 42.67 |
| DFL | "Dick" Franson | 44,700 | 29.06 |
| DFL | Gregg Iverson | 43,478 | 28.27 |
| Minnesota Secretary of State Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon | 901,450 | 47.04 |
| Republican | Dan Severson | 879,022 | 45.87 |
| Independence | Bob Helland | 94,065 | 4.91 |
| Libertarian | Bob Odden | 40,729 | 2.13 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 1,134 | 0.06 |
| Minnesota Secretary of State Election, 2018[6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon | 1,328,502 | 52.25 |
| Republican | John Howe | 1,109,093 | 43.62 |
| Independence | William Denney | 103,610 | 4.91 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 1317 | 0.05 |
| Minnesota Secretary of State Election, 2022[7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| DFL | Steve Simon | 1,345,678 | 54.5 |
| Republican | Kim Crockett | 1,119,954 | 45.4 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 2,095 | 0.08 |
| Minnesota House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Rhodes |
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 46B district 44A: 2005–2013 2005–2015 |
Succeeded by Cheryl Youakim |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee for Secretary of State of Minnesota 2014, 2018, 2022 |
Most recent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Minnesota 2015–present |
Incumbent |