Steve Simon Explained

Steve Simon
Office:	22nd Secretary of State of Minnesota
Governor:	Mark Dayton Tim Walz
Term Start:	January 5, 2015
Predecessor:	Mark Ritchie
State House1:	Minnesota
District1:	46B
Prior Term1:	44A (2005–2013)
Term Start1:	January 4, 2005
Term End1:	January 5, 2015
Predecessor1:	Jim Rhodes
Successor1:	Cheryl Youakim
Birth Date:	12 December 1969
Birth Place:	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Party:	Democratic
Spouse:	Leia Christoffer
Children:	2
Education:	Tufts University (BA) University of Minnesota (JD)

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.

Early life, education, and career

Simon graduated from Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, then went on to Tufts University in Medford, 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]}

Minnesota House of Representatives

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]

2014, 2018 and 2022 Minnesota Secretary of State campaigns

See main article: 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election, 2018 Minnesota Secretary of State election and 2022 Minnesota Secretary of State election.

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.

Personal life

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]}

Electoral history

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

External links

• Government website
• Steve Simon for Secretary of State official campaign website

• Steve Simon for State Representative campaign website (archived)

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Notes and References

1. Web site: Simon, Steve. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Legislators Past & Present. August 8, 2013.
2. Web site: Representative Steve Simon's Biography. Project Vote Smart. August 8, 2013.
3. Web site: Minnesota lawmaker's gay marriage defense goes viral. Yahoo! News. May 4, 2011. August 8, 2013. Goodwin, Liz.
4. Web site: Democrat Simon says he's running for secretary of state. . August 6, 2013. August 8, 2013. Scheck, Tom.
5. Web site: About Steve Simon. Citizens for Simon. August 8, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131208072033/http://www.stevesimon.net/about. December 8, 2013. dead.
6. Web site: Home - Election Results.
7. Web site: 2022 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS . Minnesota Secretary of State.