Ben Bramsen

Ben Bramsen

Democratic Party

Candidate, Annapolis City Council Ward 1

Elections and appointments

Next election

September 16, 2025

Personal

Birthplace

Mason City, Iowa

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Ben Bramsen (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Annapolis City Council to represent Ward 1 in Maryland. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on September 16, 2025.

Bramsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ben Bramsen was born in Mason City, Iowa.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Annapolis, Maryland (2025)

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

The primary will occur on September 16, 2025. The general election will occur on November 4, 2025. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for Annapolis City Council Ward 1

Thomas Krieck is running in the general election for Annapolis City Council Ward 1 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Thomas Krieck (Unaffiliated)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Annapolis City Council Ward 1

Incumbent Harry Huntley, Ben Bramsen, Ron Gunzburger, Kathleen McDermott, and Genevieve Torri are running in the Democratic primary for Annapolis City Council Ward 1 on September 16, 2025.

		Candidate
		Harry Huntley
		Ben Bramsen
		Ron Gunzburger
	Submit photo	Kathleen McDermott
		Genevieve Torri

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

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Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ben Bramsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bramsen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born into a blue collar working class family in Mason City, Iowa, where my dad belonged to the local Steel Workers Union and my grandpa was the president of the local Railroad Workers Union. I grew up most of my life being raised by a single mother, who often worked multiple jobs to provide for my brother and myself. Our family was the definition of living paycheck to paycheck. My mom was able to make it happen through hard work (and probably more than a little luck) but it helped me grow up with a better understanding that so many of us are just one unplanned life circumstance away from being able to support ourselves to living in desperation.

After college, I've had the great fortune and opportunity to live in many different and unique communities around the country, including Indianapolis (IN), Honolulu (HI), Minneapolis (MN), and Fairfax (VA) before I came across Annapolis and immediately fell in love with it. ​

A somewhat random staycation day trip to Annapolis, spent in what I later learned was Ward 1, helped me immediately become enamored with the friendly but real and raw members within community, the beautiful scenic views everywhere you looked, and the vibrant energy around every corner. It didn't take long at all for me to decide this was a place I was drawn to be. I want every person that visits this amazing city to experience that same passion and feeling for it as I did.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordable living - as the wealth inequality gap widens in America between those that have and those that have not, it is also extremely evident in Annapolis. We must create a welcome and affordable environment for all, not just the wealthy few, by holding irresponsible landlords accountable for their part in the housing affordability crisis and by incentivizing those that are responsible.
• Helping the homeless and unhoused communities - Far too often we wait until individuals are to the point of dire need, or sometimes even life or death, before we take action. We must be proactive to help before it gets to the point of destitution. We can do this by creating stronger renter’s rights for citizens of Annapolis, so one unplanned emergency doesn’t put someone out on the street with no where to go. We also must work to actually enforce our Short Term Rental laws and regulations, as well as address loosening residential zoning restrictions that can open up more multi-family housing.
• Make opening and operating small businesses more accessible for local business owners - Just as with residential properties, we must make sure we’re holding irresponsible landlords accountable for their part in creating difficulties for small business owners to occupy spaces in Ward 1, and we must incentivize the responsible landlords for helping small, local business owners to operate. We also must address the antiquated commercial zoning laws that make it too costly for small business owners to open in Ward 1 and Annapolis.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable housing and development - Too often the focus of our politicians are on the wealthiest and most connected in the city, because they’re the ones giving donations and putting their fingers on the political scale. In doing so, the working class are forgotten. The working poor class are ignored. The Forgotten Class of our younger citizens are exactly that, forgotten. Just because those members of our amazing community can’t afford to make donations to other politician’s campaigns doesn’t mean they’re not just as important of constituents to work for. I’m running to provide a voice to those that feel they don’t have one.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

While it’s hard to pick just one book, “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek always rings true to me. As a leader, it doesn’t matter how good you are at speaking, or how good you are at spreadsheets and numbers, or memorizing policy details. If you don’t have a mission that those around you and with you can truly believe in and commit to, and you don’t steadfastly hold true to that mission in every decision, it’s only a matter of time that you will fail. The greatest leaders are those that believe and work toward a mission of greater good, not short term solutions to line pockets quickly.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Principle. Every decision and every policy conversation should start first and foremost with “how will this help those within our community that need help the most?” As soon as you see a representative stray away from that mindset because a different answer might garner them more political favor, you should run away from them. Or consider running against them.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

An elected official must always remember that they are a representative of their community of constituents. While it’s impossible to always make every single person happy with everything one does, they should still be able to justify to those constituents why their decision is in the best interest of all in their community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I’m a millennial, so my entire life has kind of just been one historical event after another. I remember the Rodney King trial, the OJ Simpson trial, but I wasn’t old enough to really understand the implications of them. Even 9/11 I understood, but wasn’t mature enough to see how it would affect our world. The election of Barack Obama was really the first big positive historical event I remember, because it was the first time in my adult life that I had actual hope and faith that we could still be something great as a country.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Previous experience in government is rather irrelevant to this position. To be successful in this role, you must have experience in leadership and not be afraid to make decisions, and also not be afraid to answer to why those decisions are made. In some cases, prior political experience can be a detriment, not a positive.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Annapolis City Council Ward 1

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