Biography
Benjamin Olsen is the Democratic candidate for Iowa House of Representatives District 48 in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing incumbent Republican Chad Behn.[1][2] An engineer, Olsen says in a Ballotpedia survey that he is focused on reducing nitrates in drinking water, public school funding and rural jobs.[2][3]
Benjamin Olsen graduated from Roland-Story High School, earned an associate degree from Des Moines Area Community College in 2020 and a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 2025.[2] In a Ballotpedia survey, Olsen said he was born in Ames, studied aerospace engineering, and has worked as a product order engineer, a lubrication technician and a page in the 87th Iowa General Assembly.[3]
Olsen defeated Daniel Wojcik and Guy Morgan in the Democratic primary on June 2, 2026.[2] He listed reducing nitrate levels in Iowa's drinking water, prioritizing public school funding over the state's voucher program, and expanding jobs in rural Iowa as his main messages.[3]
- 1.Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Benjamin Olsen · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Benjamin Olsen - Candidate Connection survey (2026) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Iowa House District 48
Benjamin Olsen is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Iowa House District 48 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.