Secretary of State Steve Simon won’t run for U.S. Senate, making him the latest well-known Minnesota Democrat to pass on a bid for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat.
His decision follows Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Dave Wellstone, the son of the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone, who all announced in recent weeks that they were staying out of the contest.
Simon’s decision means the Democratic field may be close to set with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and former state Sen. Melisa López Franzen currently in the running.
“He’s not looking to run for Senate at this time,” Simon’s campaign spokesperson Risikat Adesaogun told the Minnesota Star Tribune, adding that Simon will not endorse in the Senate race because he never makes endorsements in his current role.
DFL sources say Simon is interested in a gubernatorial bid, but only if Walz doesn’t run for re-election. Walz has said he will announce this summer whether he will seek a third term as governor.
Adesaogun would not confirm or deny when asked if Simon would run for governor. She also was not able to provide a timeline on when Simon would make a decision on a re-election bid for his current position.
“It’s great that there’s interest in this very important job in Minnesota and in the country, but Steve is very much still focusing on his work to protect democracy and the rights of Minnesotans,” Adesaogun said when asked if Simon is considering a governor run.
Simon won a third term as secretary of state in 2022, in race that became a test of voters’ faith in the state’s election system. Simon beat Republican Kim Crockett, an attorney who had cast doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election, by more than 9 percentage points.
