According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has raised $385,959 and spent $101,885 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Mar. 31, 2022. Simon is currently ranked sixth in state-level donations in the 2022 election cycle.
Simon is a member of the Democratic Party and assumed office in 2015. In Minnesota, the secretary of state is an elected position. Duties vary by state but are generally administrative in nature and may include recordkeeping, certification of state documents, and serving as chief election official. Simon is running for reelection in 2022.
Simon’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2017-2022)
Contributions to Simon
Of the $385,959 already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 6.74 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Simon (1/1/2021 – 3/31/2022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $4,000.00 | Justine and Robert E Haselow | INDIVIDUAL |
| 2. | $4,000.00 | Pamela S and James D Deal | INDIVIDUAL |
| 3. | $4,000.00 | Ruth and Alvin J Huss Jr | INDIVIDUAL |
| 4. | $2,000.00 | Adam Jennings | INDIVIDUAL |
| 5. | $2,000.00 | Al Kamen | INDIVIDUAL |
| 6. | $2,000.00 | Alida R Messinger | INDIVIDUAL |
| 7. | $2,000.00 | Allison Price | INDIVIDUAL |
| 8. | $2,000.00 | Amy Caplan | INDIVIDUAL |
| 9. | $2,000.00 | Anita Donofrio | INDIVIDUAL |
| 10. | $2,000.00 | Brian Harrison | INDIVIDUAL |
Expenditures by Simon
On the expenditures side, Simon reported $101,885, with 99.14 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping this list.
Top Expenditures by Simon (1/1/2021 – 3/31/2022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $33,936.29 | Jacquelyn Bateman | INDIVIDUAL |
| 2. | $20,659.71 | Aggregated Unitemized Expenditures | INDIVIDUAL |
| 3. | $20,000.00 | MN DFL State Central Committee | ENTITY |
| 4. | $13,500.00 | Ngp Van Inc | ENTITY |
| 5. | $5,224.32 | Actblue | ENTITY |
| 6. | $2,495.62 | Vantive | ENTITY |
| 7. | $2,346.59 | Seven Corners Print & Promo | ENTITY |
| 8. | $1,045.25 | Minneapolis Labor Review | ENTITY |
| 9. | $1,000.00 | Take Action PAC | ENTITY |
| 10. | $797.40 | US Bank | ENTITY |
How donations to Simon compare to the same office in other states
Contributions vary widely among officeholders in the same role. A number of factors, including whether the position is appointed or elected, can influence donor activity. Here is how Simon compares to the 10 other state and commonwealth secretaries with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Across the U.S., 27 secretaries of state are members of the Republican Party and 20 are members of the Democratic Party. Voters elect the secretary of state in 35 states, while they are appointed by either the governor or state legislature in the other 12. Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah do not have secretaries of state. In 2022, 27 states are holding elections for the position.
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Minnesota PACs submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 | 4/14/2022 |
| 2022 Q2 | 6/14/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 | 9/27/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.