Simon wins Minnesota secretary of state race; Crockett blames loss on 'corrupt elites'

ST. PAUL — The Republican challenger for Minnesota secretary of state has conceded the election to Democratic incumbent Steve Simon, but not without blaming the outcome of the election on the “corrupt elites.”

Kim Crockett, whose campaign strongly focused on baseless claims that the 2020 election was illegitimate, posted a concession statement to her campaign website Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 9, acknowledging that she had been defeated by Simon.

“We cannot claim victory tonight, and that is painful,” Crockett said. “This is a direct consequence of a false national narrative about elections funded by corrupt elites who do not believe in our right to govern ourselves through clean elections.”

While noting that she’s grateful for her supporters sticking with her through what she called “woke media onslaught,” Crockett implied that, though not in the role of the secretary of state, she would continue to question and investigate the electoral system.

“The reasons for my candidacy remain, and my commitment to healing our election process did not end tonight. I’m still in this fight, even if it is not as your Secretary of State,” Crockett said. “I did not win but I am not defeated. I encourage you [to] take in the good news on other victories across Minnesota and the nation — and to take a moment to rest. We have good and important work ahead of us.”

Simon, who first took office in 2015, oversaw and certified Minnesota’s election in 2020, in which Joe Biden dashed the re-election hopes of Donald Trump by more than 7 points statewide.

With a campaign focused primarily on protecting Minnesotans’ voting rights, Simon racked up endorsements from many of Minnesota's largest unions, including the Minnesota AFL-CIO. He had not made a public statement declaring a victory as of Wednesday afternoon.

While it’s unclear whether any mail-in ballots have yet to be counted, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, Simon led Crockett by nearly 10 points with a 54.5% share of the nearly 2.5 million ballots cast.

Though the results of Minnesota’s election will remain unofficial until certified by a state canvassing board on Nov. 29, a Simon win would make him the fourth DFLer to be elected to the secretary of state’s office since 1955. A Republican hasn’t held the seat since 2007. The certified winner of the Nov. 8 election will serve a four-year term as attorney general, a position which in fiscal year 2021 was compensated $98,327.88.