Ben Leman was born in Magnolia, Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin. Leman's career experience includes working as the CEO of Merrimac Manufacturing, Inc. Leman was elected to serve as a Grimes County judge in 2014 and served in that position from 2015 to 2017. He resigned in order to run for the Texas House of Representatives, saying, “I don’t believe it is right for tax dollars to pay the salary of a County Judge at the same time that individual’s name is appearing on the ballot for a different office.” He is a member of the National Rifle Association and the Texas State Rifle Association.