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Steve Simon

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This article is about the politician. For the tennis executive, see Steve Simon (tennis). For the physicist, see Steven H. Simon.
Steve Simon
Simon in 2026
22nd Secretary of State of Minnesota
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2015
GovernorMark Dayton
Tim Walz
Preceded byMark Ritchie
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
January 4, 2005 – January 5, 2015
Preceded byJim Rhodes
Succeeded byCheryl Youakim
Constituency
  • District 44A (2005–2013)
  • District 46B (2013–2015)
Personal details
Born (1969-12-12) December 12, 1969 (age 56)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
SpouseLeia Christoffer
Children2
EducationTufts 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

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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 was an associate with the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi from 2001 to 2014.[1][2]

Minnesota House of Representatives

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Simon was first elected in 2004, and was re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.

In the House, Simon served on the Elections Committee, serving his final term as chair in 2013-14. He authored the provision on no-excuse absentee voting in 2013.

On May 2, 2011, Simon testified about and opposed a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota, saying, "How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?" His comments drew national attention.[3]

Minnesota Secretary of State

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Campaigns

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Main articles: 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 2026, Simon has never lost an election.

On December 8, 2025, Simon announced he would seek a fourth term.[5]

In 2026, Simon was honored at the Humphrey-Mondale Awards, and received the Joan Growe Award.[6]

Personal life

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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, has served on the board of the Minnesota Chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and is an attorney.[1][2][7]

Electoral history

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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[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Steve Simon 65,634 42.67
Democratic (DFL) Dick Franson 44,700 29.06
Democratic (DFL) Gregg Iverson 43,478 28.27
Total votes 153,812 100
Minnesota Secretary of State election, 2014[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Steve Simon 901,450 47.04% −2.06%
Republican Dan Severson 879,022 45.87% +0.23%
Independence Bob Helland 94,065 4.91% −0.28%
Libertarian Bob Odden 40,729 2.13% N/A
Write-in 1,134 0.06% -0.01%
Total votes 1,916,400 100.0%
Democratic (DFL) hold
Minnesota Secretary of State election, 2018[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Steve Simon (incumbent) 1,328,502 52.25% +5.21%
Republican John Howe 1,109,093 43.62% −2.25%
Independence William Denney 103,610 4.08% −0.83%
Write-in 1,317 0.05% -0.01%
Total votes 2,542,522 100.0% N/A
Democratic (DFL) hold
Minnesota Secretary of State DFL Primary Election, 2022[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Steve Simon (incumbent) 285,314 72.51
Democratic (DFL) Steve Carlson 108,144 27.49
Total votes 393,458 100.00
2022 Minnesota Secretary of State election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Steve Simon (incumbent) 1,345,685 54.53% +2.28%
Republican Kim Crockett 1,119,949 45.38% +1.76%
Write-in 2,095 0.08% +0.03%
Total votes 2,467,729 100.0%
Democratic (DFL) hold

References

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  1. ^ a b "Simon, Steve". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Representative Steve Simon's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  3. ^ Minnesota Legislative Reference Library (May 4, 2026). "Minnesota Legislative Reference Library". Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  4. ^ Scheck, Tom (August 6, 2013). "Democrat Simon says he's running for secretary of state". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  5. ^ Bakst, Brian (December 9, 2025). "Democrat Steve Simon will try for fourth term as Minnesota secretary of state". MPR News.
  6. ^ "DFL Party Announces 2026 Humphrey-Mondale Award Winners". Minnesota DFL. May 12, 2026.
  7. ^ "About Steve Simon". Citizens for Simon. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Statewide Results for Secretary of State, Primary Election". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved January 8, 2015. Cite error: The named reference "primaryresults2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Statewide Results for Secretary of State". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "Statewide Results for Secretary of State". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  11. ^ Simon, Steve (November 29, 2022). "2022 State Canvassing Board Certificate". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
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