Ben Gruber

Ben Gruber is a conservation warden and lifelong Wisconsinite running this fall to flip his state Assembly district blue. From working night shift at the local cheese factory in his youth to volunteering as a first responder, Ben understands the lives of working Wisconsinites firsthand. If he’s elected, Ben is committed to fighting for the people and strengthening Wisconsin’s communities by supporting public education, investing in rural EMS and healthcare, and protecting our natural resources.

Assembly District 51 is extremely competitive and favored Democratic Governor Evers by a wide margin in 2022. Ben, with the support of the DLCC’s Target Races program, is well-positioned to flip this seat and help Democrats take back control of the Wisconsin Assembly in 2026.

After over a decade of Republican gerrymandered control, 2026 is a historic opportunity to flip the Wisconsin legislature from red to blue.

Last cycle, Democrats made incredible gains in the Wisconsin Senate and added an impressive 10 seats in the Assembly, putting both chambers within striking distance of a blue flip for the first time in more than 15 years.

The DLCC has supported Wisconsin state Democrats cycle after cycle, helping them make significant gains in recent years despite aggressive GOP gerrymandering. In 2024, the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out Republicans’ unfair voting maps, making Wisconsin one of the most competitive states in the nation for state legislative elections.

This year, Wisconsin Democrats need a net gain of 5 seats in the state Assembly and 2 seats in the state Senate to win a majority in each chamber. The current GOP majorities in Wisconsin have rubber-stamped Trump’s disastrous agenda, and the time to take back Democratic power in the state is now.