Erik Simonson (born May 26, 1968) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician and former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Repr ...

(DFL), he represented District 7 which includes the city of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

in St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota.

Early life

Simonson was born in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Minnesota legislature

Simonson was first elected to the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

in 2012 representing District 7B and served two terms. Simonson was then elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2016. Simonson served on the following committees during his tenure: * Ranking Minority Member Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy * Environment and Natural Resources Finance * Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy In 2020, Simonson was not endorsed by the DFL and was defeated in the primary election on August 11 to

Jen McEwen Jennifer A. McEwen ( ; born May 14, 1977) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), she represents Senate District 7, which includes the city of Duluth in St. Louis Count ...

Personal life

Simonson was an assistant chief for the Duluth Fire Department, retiring after serving as a firefighter for 27 years. He is married and has two children. After leaving his role as a legislator, Simonson became a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

with

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

-based law firm Flaherty and Hood.

References

External links

Rep. Erik Simonson
''official Minnesota House of Representatives website''
Rep. Erik Simonson
''official campaign website'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonson, Erik 1968 births Living people Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians