FILE - Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon speaks during the summer conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State in Baton Rouge, La., July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)

In the political battlegrounds of Minnesota, no contest was as hot as the race for Minnesota’s next secretary of state. This year’s election would see incumbent two-term Sec. Steve Simon (D) square off against Kim Crockett (R). 

Heading into the election, Crockett repeated false 2020 election denial claims. Crockett claimed, “I don’t think we’ll ever know precisely what happened. What I can tell you is that Minnesota laws were not followed.” 

Simon addressed these claims, saying, “She’s an election denier, who says we don’t know who won Minnesota in 2020, who says that the election of 2020 was rigged, who says that it was lawless,” Simon said. “That’s what we’re dealing with here. And that’s not who we are as Minnesotans.” 

Throughout this election process, Crockett has also made controversial claims surrounding “flabby American voters” and baseless claims that voting rights groups give homeless people “bags of candy” in exchange for voting. 

With the election now over and the numbers in, Simon will continue to be Minnesota’s secretary of state.

Politico called the race early Wednesday morning. As of 1:10 a.m. CST, Simon led over Crockett by a count of 55% to 45%.