Steve Simon
Secretary of State,
Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State
Steve Simon grew up in Hopkins and St. Louis Park, the same community he now represents in the Minnesota House of Representatives. His roots are wide-ranging. His grandfather was born in Eveleth to Jewish immigrants who fled Lithuania. They ran a dry goods store in Hill City before moving to St. Paul. His grandfather, grandmother, father, and uncles all went to the University of Minnesota, a privilege that influenced them significantly. Steve's father, Ron, was a noted sports attorney, who represented Minnesota athletic greats such as Kent Hrbek, Paul Molitor, Neal Broten, and Kevin McHale. Steve's mother, Marlen, was an immigrant from Austria; a vibrant entrepreneur and community volunteer. She died much too young of cancer. His family always taught him and his sister Andrea to work hard, look out for others, and try to be part of something bigger than themselves.Steve has always been fascinated by public affairs. Most children use their restaurant place mat for hamburger drippings, but a six-year-old Steve used his to launch a life-long interest in public affairs and politics. It was 1976 and the restaurant, in celebration of the Bicentennial, pictured all the American presidents on its placemat. Steve memorized them all in order, and then went on to immerse himself in presidential biographies.
Steve's passion continued on to real presidential campaigns. When he was fourteen he volunteered with the Mondale for President campaign. Four years later, he volunteered for the presidential campaign of Paul Simon, including work in Iowa. After graduating in 1992 with a B.A in Political Science from Tufts University, near Boston, Steve had his eye on another presidential contender. Arkansas governor Bill Clinton was an underdog candidate, little known by the American people, but Steve saw that he had presidential potential. Long before Clinton became a viable candidate, Steve wrote to several influential members of the Clinton entourage, looking for an internship with the campaign. They hired him as full-time staff, and he became a part of the campaign's response team at the national headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Clinton connection gave Steve his first 15 minutes of fame: he made a brief appearance in the documentary "The War Room," making him one of the few Minnesota legislators to have appeared in an Oscar-nominated movie. After the election, Steve left Little Rock, declined to seek a job in Washington, D.C., and following in his father's footsteps, he began law school at the University of Minnesota.
Steve was always more interested in making a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens than he was in making a lot of money. Fresh out of law school he became an Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota, where he worked on consumer protection and education issues. After a few years, he left to become a lawyer in private practice, and a very successful one, having been voted a "Rising Star," four times by Law & Politics magazine. But public service was in his blood. Once again he again turned to politics, which he sees as a powerful tool for positive social change. And in that sphere he's been inordinately successful. In 2004, Steve ran for, and won, the House seat in his home district covering St. Louis Park and Hopkins, where he grew up and still lives. His wife Leia, a native of Waconia whose family is from Lakefield in southwestern Minnesota, is a public affairs professional who advocates mostly for non-profit organizations in the health and human services area. Steve and Leia have a daughter Hannah, who will be two in December, is putting sentences together, and loves to read, and a son Noah, who was born in April of this year, and learning to sleep through the night.
At the Capitol, he has been the force behind several voting rights and voter protection bills, and now chairs The House Elections Committee. He has also written a major anti-fraud law, as well as a landmark law that expands the statute of limitations so that victims of childhood sexual abuse can seek justice for their abusers. Many politicians call themselves "courageous," but Steve's work on behalf of what he believes is right, and his dedication to bipartisanship, has others using that word. Politics in Minnesota Newsletter wrote that he "deserves a badge of political courage," and that "in an era when political jockeying and gamesmanship are the norm, Simon's work is notable." The Star Tribune named Steve as one of a handful of legislators who "did some truly courageous things."
Steve has won many awards from organizations appreciative of his work, including "The Civic Leadership Award" from the non-partisan Citizens League, the "Outstanding Legislator Award" from the Minnesota School Board Association, and, notably, being named one of only 24 elected officials across the nation chosen as "rising stars," by the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan international think tank.
Running now for Secretary of State, Steve will continue to work for what he believes is right: making a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens.