Candidate Profile: Ben Schmitz For Wisconsin Senate District 13

WISCONSIN— The 2021 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate seats and local government and school boards.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Ben Schmitz tells Patch why he should be elected For Wisconsin Senate District 13.

Age (as of Election Day)

30

Position Sought

State Senator-District 13

Party Affiliation

American Solidarity Party

Family

Married to Kari Schmitz, two children Josephine (3) and Elijah (1) with another one due April 15.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy

Occupation

Small Business Owner (3 years), National Guard Officer (7 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

schmitzforstatesenate.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I chose to run with the Solidarity Party, because, like many Americans, I feel that neither Republicans nor Democrats represent me. We need better than the division they’ve caused. Instead of working for the good of the country, they jostle for power—looking for opportunities to blame each other. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s not hopeless. There is a way forward.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Now more than ever we must listen to each other and sincerely consider other opinions. Dialogue and honest, open discussions with others is the starting point to healing our divisions. We have to listen without condemning. We have to try to understand each other. We have to ask questions. We have to let others challenge our opinions.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The Republican and Democratic candidates in this race are party loyalists. They have very few, if any, original ideas. They will forfeit your representation in the State Senate into the hands of their party leaders.

Here are a few common sense ideas that I'd like to bring to the Senate. (1) Force hospitals to display prices publicly. (2) Formula-based redistricting rules, preventing gerrymandering and biased committees from abusing power. (3) Define law enforcement's Rules for the Use of Force, taking the burden off of the Officer to predict the public's response to their actions. (4) Ranked Choice Voting, so that you can vote for whomever you want to see in office without the fear that it will be a wasted vote.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

This is an open seat and anything can happen. If you vote with your conscience and choose who you think is best, rejecting the "lesser of two evils" mentality, others may begin to believe they can do that too. We can heal the division in our country.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I am proud of what our state has done. True, COVID19 didn't turn out to be as deadly as we feared at first, but we responded vigorously and could have defeated a much worse virus.
We have more important problems at hand now. We live in isolated worlds, like completely different societies coexisting side-by-side. We must begin to engage with each other again, intentionally, as if our nation depended upon it.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe that we the people must take responsibility for improving our law enforcement by giving our officers the standards and tools to do a difficult job. That begins with clearly defining Rules for the Use of Force at the state level. Right now, the legal justification for the use of force is the subjective feeling of being threatened, except whenever there is a public outcry. That’s not a fair standard. As a leader, I know the meaning of command responsibility. It’s the leader's job to give the subordinate the means to make good decisions. We the people are the leaders. We have to give our law enforcement good direction on how we want them to act and to give them the tools to do that effectively, with clear Rules for the Use of Force.

I am also passionately pro-life for the whole life and believe that we must find ways to help mothers in hardship. I believe that the over-expanding of the national and state debt is short-sighted, a serious risk, and a burden to our economy. And I believe that our nation's moral character is more important than its affluence or power.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I spent a lot of time last year on the front lines in Wisconsin. Including responding to some violent riots in Kenosha and Madison, and helping our state respond to the COVID crisis. I have first-hand experience of today’s important issues and lessons learned that I’d like to share with my fellow Wisconsinites.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

You can’t get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. I’m tired of being told that my vote is wasted if I don’t vote for a Republican or Democrat. How long will we let those in power manipulate us? We must begin by believing that we can defeat the powerful. The greatest obstacle to taking down the powerful is the belief that it cannot be done. They make us believe that we are too small, that our voice doesn’t count, that we can’t make a difference…unless we support them. Your vote is your voice! Even if your candidate doesn’t win, you will be heard. Vote for what you believe in.
I’m running as a Solidarity Party candidate because I hope for our future. Because the more we believe and stand together, the more others will too. Hope begets hope. We can stand against corruption, against partisan bias, against power grabbing politics, with positive solutions for our state and for our people. If you dare to hope, you will be heard.