Ben DeSmidt

David Benjamin "Ben" DeSmidt is an American educator, small business owner, and Democratic politician from Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 65th Assembly district since 2025.

Ben DeSmidt
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 65th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 6, 2025
Preceded by	Tod Ohnstad
Personal details
Born	Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Kenosha, Wisconsin
Education	University of Chicago (B.A.) Columbia University (M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.)
Profession	Educator, business owner
Website	Campaign website

Biography

Born in Wisconsin, DeSmidt earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago, and obtained his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York.^[1]

Ben DeSmidt is associate professor emeritus of classics and great ideas at Carthage College, and has been a trustee of Gateway Technical College since 2022.^[2] He is also the owner of two bars in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Union Park Tavern and Pavle's Lounge.^[3]

After Kenosha's south side state representative Tod Ohnstad announced he would not run for re-election in 2024, DeSmidt entered the race and received Ohnstad's endorsement. He faced a primary against former Kenosha Unified School District board member Kyle Flood,^[3] but won the Democratic nomination with nearly 70% of the primary vote.^[4] He went on to win the general election, receiving about 53% of the vote against Republican Brian Gonzales, a former Kenosha police officer.^[3][5]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2024)

Year	Election	Date	Elected				Defeated				Total	Plurality
2024	Primary[6]	Aug. 13	Ben DeSmidt	Democratic	3,738	69.51%	Kyle Flood	Dem.	1,637	30.44%	5,378	2,101
	General[7]	Nov. 5	Ben DeSmidt	Democratic	15,065	53.27%	Brian Gonzales	Rep.	13,166	46.55%	28,283	1,899