Democratic hopeful Laura Benjamin has ended her campaign to represent Wisconsin’s 3rd District — saying money troubles sank her campaign, but not before a firestorm over Facebook ads slamming the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Benjamin, a transgender small business owner and former Eau Claire City Council member, had been mounting a challenge against incumbent Republican and retired Navy SEAL, Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
In the days preceding her exit, her campaign launched Facebook ads condemning the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, accusing him of hateful rhetoric toward the LGBTQ community and criticizing Van Orden for his response to her posts.
The ads included donation appeals, which were widely interpreted as an attempt to turn the assassination of Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, into eleventh-hour fundraising momentum.
In suspending her campaign, Benjamin admitted the massive fundraising needed to compete in WI-03 was out of reach. “The path to victory simply isn’t there,” she wrote. “Rather than run a campaign without a viable path forward, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend efforts at this time.”
Benjamin sought to frame her announcement not as an ending point — but a transition:
“The fight for Medicare for All, living wages, and guaranteed human rights does not stop here. I’m committed to being part of that effort moving forward, whether through grassroots advocacy, coalition work, or whatever comes next.”
Her departure clears the field for Democrat Rebecca Cooke, who has already run against Van Orden and is viewed as the frontrunner. With WI-03 a true toss-up, both parties are gearing up for a bruising fight in November.
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Democratic hopeful Laura Benjamin is another piece human excrement.
This is bad news. The Dem vote will now not be split.
Since Benjamin uses the name Laura and is transgender, it is obvious the he’s a man. Please don’t dignify his depravity by referring to him as “her.”
Democrats confirm every day that they are mentally dysfunctional and not capable of representing their v oters