Steve Simon

Steve Simon
22nd Secretary of State of Minnesota
Assumed office
January 5, 2015
Governor Mark Dayton
Preceded by Mark Ritchie
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 46B district
44A (2005–2013)
In office
January 4, 2005 – January 6, 2015
Preceded by Jim Rhodes
Succeeded by Cheryl Youakim
Personal details
Born (1969-12-12) December 12, 1969
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Leia Christoffer
Children 2
Alma mater Tufts University
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Religion Judaism

Steve Simon (born December 12, 1969) is a Minnesota politician. He is the 22nd and current 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 Hopkins, 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 1996–2001, 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 Minnesota Secretary of State campaign

On August 6, 2013, Simon announced his candidacy in the 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election.[4] He narrowly defeated Republican Dan Severson for the office.

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

References

  1. 1 2 "Simon, Steve". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Representative Steve Simon's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  3. ↑ Goodwin, Liz (May 4, 2011). "Minnesota lawmaker's gay marriage defense goes viral". Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ Scheck, Tom (August 6, 2013). "Democrat Simon says he's running for secretary of state". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  5. ↑ "About Steve Simon". Citizens for Simon. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
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
Political offices
Preceded by
Mark Ritchie		 Secretary of State of Minnesota
2015–present 		Incumbent
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