Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Ben DeNucci
Ben DeNucci (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minnesota State Senate to represent District 7. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
DeNucci completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
DeNucci was a 2016 Democratic candidate for District 6A of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Biography
Ben DeNucci's career experience includes working as a small business owner.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Minnesota State Senate District 7
Robert Farnsworth defeated Ben DeNucci and Kim McLaughlin in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 7 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Robert Farnsworth (R) | 53.1 | 20,797 |
 | Ben DeNucci (D)  | 46.1 | 18,056 | |
| Kim McLaughlin (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.8 | 304 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 42 | ||
| Total votes: 39,199 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 7
Ben DeNucci defeated Kim McLaughlin in the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 7 on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ben DeNucci | 50.3 | 4,003 |
| Kim McLaughlin | 49.7 | 3,962 | ||
| Total votes: 7,965 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 7
Robert Farnsworth advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 7 on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Farnsworth | 100.0 | 6,884 |
| Total votes: 6,884 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Sims (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view DeNucci's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2016
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016. Incumbent Carly Melin (D) did not seek re-election.
Julie Sandstede defeated Robert Farnsworth in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A general election.[2][3]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 6A General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Julie Sandstede |
59.08% | 11,852 | |
| Republican | Robert Farnsworth | 40.92% | 8,209 | |
| Total Votes | 20,061 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||||
Julie Sandstede defeated Tom Whiteside, Mike Thompson, and Ben DeNucci in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 6A Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Julie Sandstede |
35.61% | 1,676 | |
| Democratic | Tom Whiteside | 31.19% | 1,468 | |
| Democratic | Mike Thompson | 5.50% | 259 | |
| Democratic | Ben DeNucci | 27.69% | 1,303 | |
| Total Votes | 4,706 | |||
Robert Farnsworth ran unopposed in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A Republican primary.[4][5]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 6A Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Robert Farnsworth (unopposed) | |
This candidate ran in one of Ballotpedia's races to watch in 2016. Read more »
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ben DeNucci completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by DeNucci's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I own two mom and pop union grocery stores. Those stores were going to close, so I put together a team that kept the doors open, lights on, and 30 people working good paying union jobs. I don’t just talk about building thriving communities – I know what it takes.
I’ve gained valuable experience working in local government for the last eight years, first as the mayor of my hometown and currently as an Itasca County Commissioner. I’ve fought for good paying local jobs like those in the mining industry. I’ve worked to pass a referendum that replaced the oldest school in the state. And, for a fourth year in a row I got a 0% levy increase passed in Itasca County. Running for Senate is a natural extension of the work I do for constituents and customers every day.- Local Jobs. Talk of idling mines is irresponsible. I will bring the companies together to negotiate land deals for a long-term solution. I’m a Twin Metals and Polymet champion. Our natural resources can transform America’s clean economy if we stop endless attacks on our permitting process. Our union miners know how to do it safely, while preserving the nature that drives our tourism industry. I’ve saved and created jobs as a small business owner – I know the challenges our businesses face and the resources they require to grow job opportunities.
- Strong Schools. A zip code shouldn't determine the quality of a public education. Northland school districts should never lag behind the metro for funding; I will fight to put our students first so our schools are as high quality as anywhere in the state. The historic budget surplus – our money – is a once in a generation chance to recruit and retain top-tier teacher talent, support special education programs, reduce classroom sizes, and afford mental health counselors. We can do it all without raising property taxes, and it’s the least our children deserve after several years of disrupted school.
- Healthy Communities. Access to high quality healthcare, safe nursing and assisted living homes, and not having to worry about increased cost of living are the foundations to grow our communities. I will sponsor legislation to eliminate social security taxes and set payment limits on prescription drugs. I’ll work to bring broadband to every home so we can all benefit from telemedicine. As a first responder, I see the courageous work law enforcement does every day. I’ll make sure our departments have the funding necessary to fight gun crime and never have to choose between providing the best training o
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.
2016
DeNucci's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
We need to get our unemployed workers back on the job, as well as create new jobs in the industry. The current environmental regulation for the sulfate standard must be changed. Together, with our federal representatives, I will continue the effort against illegal foreign steel dumping. In addition to mining, we need to work to diversify our local economies by using a collaborative effort involving state agencies and local government, along with the private sector. Iron Range cities working with economic development resources can market their strengths, including a strong and well-educated workforce to attract new busnesses. Working together to develop our communities must to be a priority. Investment in broadband must be made in underserved areas of our state. A public/private partnership is needed to give rural Minnesotans equal access to the best broadband networks. Quality education must be an option for all families along with the continued investment in early childhood development. In addition, we need to improve on our low national ranking with regard to the number of guidance counselors available to our students.[6] |
” |
| —Ben DeNucci, [7] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 30, 2022
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ben DeNucci, "About," accessed July 7, 2016
