A Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin reportedly abruptly ended her campaign Friday, just days after posting digital advertisements that criticized the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, raising questions about political strategy and fundraising priorities in swing districts.
Laura Benjamin, a transgender former city council member, was running to unseat three-term Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, a largely rural and competitive area.
She announced the suspension of her campaign, citing an inability to raise the funds necessary to reach voters across the sprawling district. “Running a congressional campaign across a district as large as WI-03 takes significant financial resources,” Ms. Benjamin wrote. “Despite the incredible support we’ve received, the path to victory simply isn’t there without the level of fundraising required to reach voters.”
The campaign’s decision came two days after Benjamin launched a series of Facebook ads condemning Kirk’s alleged “hateful rhetoric” and criticizing Van Orden for responding to her comments following his assassination on Sept. 10.
One ad read: “What kind of person blames me for violence just because I condemned Charlie Kirk’s hateful rhetoric? Derrick Van Orden, of course.” Images in the ads included Kirk hosting “The Charlie Kirk Show” alongside Benjamin’s posts on social media platforms, including Bluesky.
Benjamin had claimed that Kirk “was hateful toward the LGBTQ community and called for the eradication of trans care,” while insisting that this did not justify the violence that led to his death. The candidate also incorrectly stated that the suspected shooter did not hold radical left-wing views. Other posts attributed to Benjamin show her praising Antifa and dubbing Immigration and Customs Enforcement “America’s Gestapo.”
Federal Election Commission filings show that Benjamin’s campaign had just $10,000 on hand at the end of June, underscoring the financial challenges she cited in her withdrawal.
Critics argue that using a slain conservative activist as a fundraising tool could have compounded the campaign’s difficulties, particularly after nearly 60 House Democrats voted against a resolution honoring Kirk’s life on Sept. 19, with another 38 voting “present” and 22 absent.
The seat remains competitive, with two other Democrats vying for the nomination.
Rebecca Cooke, endorsed by independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other Democratic-aligned advocacy groups, is considered the frontrunner.
Cooke previously lost to Van Orden by roughly 12,000 votes last year.
Nonpartisan analysts from the Cook Political Report rate the district as a “toss-up,” highlighting its pivotal role in upcoming midterms.
Benjamin’s abrupt withdrawal illustrates the tension between progressive candidates’ messaging and the political realities of fundraising and voter outreach in competitive districts.
While her campaign received some national attention for its social media activity, the combination of limited resources and controversial content appears to have curtailed her path forward.
Spokespeople for both Benjamin and Van Orden did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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