Meet Ben
Ben Schierer grew up in Fergus Falls, Minnesota—a community that has always shaped his values and commitment to public service. Fergus Falls is where Ben and his wife, Tessa, are raising their five children, and where together they built two Main Street businesses from the ground up. It’s also where Ben served two terms as mayor, earning reelection as a rural progressive in one of the reddest parts of the state.
That experience taught him how to bring people together across divides, get results, and prove that small towns can be places of big ideas.
For more than 16 years, Ben has worked in local elected office, giving him a deep understanding of how decisions at the state level impact cities, counties, and schools across Minnesota. As mayor, he championed development and job creation, prioritized transparency and accountability, and made sure taxpayer dollars were used effectively. He is proud of what Fergus Falls accomplished during his time in office, and even prouder of the spirit of collaboration that made those successes possible.
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Now, Ben is running to be Minnesota’s next State Auditor. The Auditor oversees more than $40 billion in local government spending and serves on critical boards that shape the state’s future, from housing and rural finance to pensions and development. Ben knows firsthand how important it is to give local leaders the resources they need to face the challenges and meet the possibilities in their communities, like housing, clean energy development, and tools to drive economic growth and create jobs in small towns and big cities alike. He believes the Auditor’s job is about more than balancing the books—it’s about building strong communities by making sure every tax dollar works as hard as Minnesotans do.
Ben also understands the political reality of our time: if the DFL want to be a party for the whole state, they need leaders who can connect with the whole state. Having run and won in rural Minnesota, Ben brings a voice and perspective that is too often missing from statewide conversations. He knows that Minnesotans—whether they live in Fergus Falls, Minneapolis, or anywhere in between—want government that builds things up rather than tears them down, and that government should always work to improve people’s lives.
When he’s not working, Ben can be found with Tessa and their kids enjoying everything that small-town Minnesota life has to offer—coaching youth sports, spending time in the outdoors, or supporting other small businesses on Fergus Falls’ Main Street. He remains deeply rooted in the community that raised him, and deeply committed to making sure every community in Minnesota has the tools to thrive.
As State Auditor, Ben will be a watchdog for taxpayers, a partner to local governments, and a leader who knows how to bring people together to get results. For Ben, it’s not about left or right—it’s about making sure Minnesota’s future is strong, fair, and built for everyone.
