However, Sim's journey has suddenly grown more difficult. The road ahead has potholes or perhaps even a sinkhole.
Recent days found the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister insisting that he is pro-worker after the High Court ruled that he showed "clear bias" in a dispute between commercial banks and the workers' union.
He was deemed to have sided with the banks against the union's claim for Raya aid during his time as human resource minister.
Sim has declared that, "I will always stand with workers," but the court ruling was quite a blow for someone seen as the next chief minister (CM) of Penang and who is famous for reaching out to the needy, regardless of their race or religion, to offer monetary assistance, scholarships and even to renovate a house for one of his constituents.
His acts of charity are well-known in Bukit Mertajam where he is a third-term MP.
But trouble sometimes comes like a flood. A few days before the devastating court ruling, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke told Sim to stop talking about who is in line to be the next Penang CM.
The Transport Minister is mindful that Gerakan's infighting over the CM post contributed to the fall of the Barisan Nasional government in 2008.
Loke said DAP and its partners have to first win again in Penang after which the DAP central leadership will make the decision and there would only be one name.
It was a timely reproach because the would-be successor has no business talking about succession. It is what the Hokkien-speaking Penangites would describe as "bo sui" or inappropriate and it had happened too many times.
For instance, during the 150th anniversary dinner of the Penang Chinese Town Hall in December last year, some found the speeches by Sim and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to be in rather poor taste.
One spoke as though he was the CM-in-waiting, while the sitting CM appeared to be anointing the next CM.
The Penang Chinese Town Hall represents the cultural heart of Chinese society and Chow has enjoyed a warm relationship with the body from the day he set foot in Penang.
"Some of us thought they misused this historical moment for the Chinese Town Hall. It is not about them but the two of them were talking as though Level 28 (the office of the Penang CM) is their private property," said an attendee.
Adding to Sim's troubles is the fact that he has made an enemy out of former CM Lim Guan Eng, who has been aiming potshots at Sim.
Their fallout goes back to the Penang DAP election in 2023, when Guan Eng's sister Lim Hui Ying almost lost. Sim was apparently blamed for not delivering votes for Hui Ying, who is also a contender for the CM post.
Publicity is like oxygen to politicians and Sim, 43, has been skillful at using social media to tell people about his work.
But there came a point when people felt his videos about helping others had taken on an exploitative note while others thought he had become more of an influencer than a serious politician.
Malays often praise him for his fluency in Bahasa Malaysia and in reciting pantun. Some Chinese even call him "Malai Keong" or Malay Keong, a pun on his Chinese name, Chee Keong.
However, he is said to have trouble connecting with DAP's Chinese-educated base.
Sim is not Chinese-educated and although he is learning to speak better Mandarin, he does not read Chinese, which means he cannot tap into the Chinese media or Chinese social media, which are a vital repository of the community's mindset.
Yet, according to a Penang insider, Sim's advisor is a former academic figure who is English-educated and who had spent much of his career abroad.
DAP, which recently marked its 60th year, is going through stormy times. Loke has been a steady pair of hands who believes that DAP needs to engage and build bridges now that it is in the government.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the glue holding Pakatan Harapan together but DAP, with the most number of MPs, is the foundation holding up the house.
For many of those who still intend to vote for the party, it is no longer about hope but about lack of choice. Ironically, that sort of argument – if not Steven Sim, then who else – may eventually propel Sim into the CM's office.
The other contender, Hui Ying, somehow lacks the Penang vibe and has failed to impress as a deputy minister.
The media fraternity in Penang say there is a dark horse candidate in lawyer and former Paya Terubong assemblyman Yeoh Soon Hin. But if he is CM material, why was he dropped as a candidate in 2022?
There were rumours last month that Loke might move from Negri Sembilan to Penang so he can be the next CM. Loke was not amused but it was juicy gossip while it lasted.
There was also speculation that a Penang political operative had urged Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin to contest in Penang and become the first woman CM of Penang. Yeo must have been flattered because she took out an advertisement in a popular Penang Chinese daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, to convey Chinese new year greetings to Penangites.
It is strange that the party needs to import people from elsewhere for the CM post while claiming that Penang is overflowing with talent.
Sim is smack in the spotlight which brings admirers and recognition but also creates envy, jealousy and enemies.
The presumptive successor is not allowed to talk about succession anymore but the CM post will be the hottest issue for DAP in the next general election.
