New Minnesota GOP candidate for Secretary of State announces campaign

A 2020 Minnesota House candidate is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Secretary of State Steve Simon in next year's election.

Kelly Jahner-Byrne of Woodbury announced her run for office on Monday, joining a sparse field of candidates seeking the Minnesota Republican Party's nomination.

Phillip Parrish, who first filed to run in March, has since left the Minnesota GOP after failing to win an election for party chair earlier this month. Parrish said he would still run as a Republican.

In a statement announcing her campaign, Jahner-Byrne said that Simon's "lack of management, oversight and obvious insecurities" caused "some of the lowest voter confidence in Minnesota history."

Simon has described the 2020 election as one of the most secure ever and cited the nation-leading turnout rate as an indicator of high voter confidence.

Jahner-Byrne — who identified herself as an entrepreneur and philanthropist — also cited "the logjam of both business regulations and business updates" as a source of frustration and one reason for seeking the office.

She said she has serious concerns about the state's Safe-At-Home program and added that the "IT security at the Secretary of State's office is simply not dependable."

Jahner-Byrne lost to Democrat Steve Sandell in the race for the Minnesota House of Representatives District 53B seat last year.

Her campaign chair is former Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Julie Finch. Jill Vujovich-Laabs is managing Jahner-Byrne's campaign.

Vujovich-Laabs also managed the 2014 Secretary of State campaign of Dan Severson, who narrowly lost to Simon in 2014.

Stephen Montemayor • 612-673-1755

Twitter: @smontemayor