Steve Simon
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
|---|---|
Simon in 2026 | |
| 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 | |
| In office January 4, 2005 – January 5, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Rhodes |
| Succeeded by | Cheryl Youakim |
| Constituency |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 12, 1969 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Leia Christoffer |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Tufts University (BA) University of Minnesota (JD) |
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 was an associate with the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi from 2001 to 2014.[1][2]
Minnesota House of Representatives
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
Campaigns
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[update], Simon has never lost an election.
On December 8, 2025, Simon announced he would seek a fourth term.[5]
In 2026, Simon received the Joan Growe Award at the Humphrey-Mondale Awards.[6]
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, has served on the board of the Minnesota Chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and is an attorney.[1][2][7]
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 |
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |||||
| 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 | |||||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Steve Simon (incumbent) | 615,129 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 615,129 | 100.0 | ||