About Ben Koehler
Teacher. Lawyer. Neighbor. Running to serve the people of District 20.
From the classroom to the Capitol
Ben Koehler came to Tucson in 2020 to attend the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. After earning his J.D., he made a choice that surprised a lot of people: instead of practicing law at a firm, he became a freshman math teacher at Pueblo High School.
That choice was not accidental. In his final semester of law school, a professor challenged the class: how many people in all of Arizona understand election law better than you do right now? The answer was maybe 500. His point was clear: knowledge like that is a civic obligation to share. Ben went into teaching to learn how to teach, so that when the time came to engage in public life, he would know how to communicate complex ideas to real people.
“Being able to impact students and help them set their lives on a positive path is incredibly rewarding. I am running for office to continue this work on a larger scale.”
2020
In Tucson Since
J.D.
University of Arizona Law
Pueblo
High School Math Teacher
$0
From Corporate Donors
Three things that make Ben different
He teaches here
Ben is a freshman math teacher at Pueblo High School. He does not just talk about education policy. He lives it every day in a Tucson classroom. He sees the effects of underfunding, overcrowding, and under-support in real time, with real students.
He has the legal training
With a J.D. from the University of Arizona, Ben understands how legislation actually works: how bills are written, where they can be challenged, and how to read the fine print that affects people’s lives. He brings that analytical lens to every issue.
He is already doing the work
Ben is a precinct committee person who registers voters and educates his community on their rights. He is currently leading a site council bylaws rewrite at his school focused on transparency and inclusion. He does not wait for a title to start serving.
His approach to the job
Ben sees his role as a nexus. He is not an expert in everything. Nobody is. But he knows how to listen, synthesize, and communicate. When nurses tell him what is broken in emergency rooms, he can translate that into policy language and take it to the floor. When teachers tell him what their students need, he knows exactly what they mean because he is one of them.
“We need to elect leaders who are capable of understanding the connections, analyzing the best path forward, and communicating the entire picture to constituents.”
He represents a generational shift in priorities, communication, and experience. He believes that matters now more than ever.
Ready to stand with Ben?
A $5 donation from a District 20 voter is how this campaign gets funded. No corporate money, no strings attached.