Ben Schierer grew up and lives in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, which is more than his hometown. It’s where his wife, Tessa, and he are raising their five kids and where, together, they built two main street businesses from scratch. And it’s where Ben served two terms as mayor—a rural progressive twice elected in one of the reddest parts of the state.

Ben is running to be Minnesota’s next state auditor because no office in the state is closer to local government than the state auditor. The state auditor oversees $40 billion in local government spending and, as importantly, provides the resources necessary to ensure that those tax dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. With 16 years of experience in local elected office, Ben knows exactly what is possible when local leaders have the resources they need to move their communities forward.

Ben was selected as a 2020 Bush Fellow, a 2021 NewDEAL Leader, and a 2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar. He received his MPA from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and is the author of Perpich: A Minnesota Original, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press in 2025.

As State Auditor, Ben will be a watchdog for taxpayers, give local leaders the tools and resources they need on housing, clean energy, economic development, and job creation, and bring a rural voice to statewide leadership.