Mark Ritchie — Minnesota two-term secretary of state who was hailed nationally for overseeing the state’s elections, particularly the 2008 U.S. Senate recount — says he won’t seek another term in 2014.
He said in a statement to friends and supporters:
This was a difficult decision for me. But, after several months of thought and discussions with family, I concluded that January 2015 will be the right time for me to step aside — making way for the next generation of talented leadership in the Office of the Secretary of State.
He beat incumbent Republican Mary Kiffmeyer in the 2006 state-wide election, with 49-44 percent margin. In 2010, he beat Republican challenger Dan Severson, by a 49-45 percent margin.
Ritchie’s announcement already has set off a round of potential candidate interest and speculation.
MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that Hennpin County Elections Manager Rachel Bohman will seek the post. And the Star Tribune’s Rachel Stassen-Berger reported that state Rep. Steve Simon, a DFLer from St. Louis Park and chair of the House elections committee, is considering a run.
Also considering a run, according to the Strib: Republican Kent Kaiser, who worked in the Secretary of State’s Office under Kiffmeyer.
In his message, Ritchie says he’ll continue a committment to social justice and public service, and welcomes suggestions about how he does that.
He said:
Our team at the Office of the Secretary of State has accomplished a great deal over the past six and a half years. Minnesota has remained #1 in elections; we’ve transformed our business services into the most efficient and customer-friendly in the nation; we launched Safe at Home, our address confidentially program to protect survivors of domestic violence.
We managed two critical election recounts with care and integrity. And we’ve found ways to partner with organizations and local governments in every corner of the state to celebrate Minnesota’s history and promote its heritage of public service.
I’m pleased to have another 18 months as your Secretary of State. We will continue to expand business services, promote civic engagement, and defend democracy.
I, for one, am very sad to see him go
He and our Supreme Court Justices and the rest of the Election Board and local election officials did us very proud in the recount; and he brought us back to fairness and rationality after Kiffmeyer’s thinly veiled attempts at disenfranchisement and sabotage. We’ve been very lucky in Minnesota with our Attorneys General. We were very lucky with our SOS, too, when we elected Mark Ritchie.
Agreed!
Well said.
Thank you for your fine work, Mr. Ritchie !
I also regret your loss. I’m concerned about who will occupy this office next, since in recent years, we’ve also had an extreme partisan in this same office, seeking to use the office for extreme ideological purpose.
Thank you for raising the standard
Thank you, Mark Ritchie, for setting a high standard for the office of Secretary of State. In the face of some attempts to discredit and dismantle the best, fairest election system in the country, your steady focus on maintaining election integrity has left us in good shape and encouraged citizen involvement in creating better, more efficient government. You deserve a rest, but I know you will continue your efforts to increase fairness and justice, both in office and afterward.