Ben DeSmidt
Ben DeSmidt (Democratic Party) is a member of theWisconsin State Assembly, representingDistrict 65. He assumed office on January 6, 2025. His current term ends on January 4, 2027.
DeSmidt (Democratic Party) ran for election to theWisconsin State Assembly to representDistrict 65. He won in the general election onNovember 5, 2024.
Biography
Ben DeSmidt earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1995 and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2006. His career experience includes working as the co-owner of Union Park Tavern and as an associate professor at Carthage College. DeSmidt has served as a member of the Gateway Technical College board of trustees.[1]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
DeSmidt was assigned to the following committees:
Elections
2024
See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2024
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 65
Ben DeSmidt defeatedBrian Gonzales in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ben DeSmidt (D) | 53.3 | 15,065 |
| Brian Gonzales (R) | 46.6 | 13,166 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 52 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 28,283 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 65
Ben DeSmidt defeatedKyle Flood in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ben DeSmidt | 69.5 | 3,738 |
 | Kyle Flood | 30.4 | 1,637 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 3 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 5,378 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 65
Brian Gonzales advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brian Gonzales | 99.4 | 2,632 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 17 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,649 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for DeSmidt in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ben DeSmidt did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.
| Year | Office | Status | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 | Won general | $61,898 | $64,171 |
| Grand total | $61,898 | $64,171 | ||
| Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). | ||||
Scorecards
Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Wisconsin scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Candidate Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 | Officeholder Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 | Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tod Ohnstad (D) | Wisconsin State Assembly District 65 2025-Present | Succeeded by - |
