Benjamin Brackett Downing (born September 11, 1981) is an American politician and Democratic former member of the Massachusetts State Senate.

He attended Providence College in Rhode Island, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 2003.

He served as Olver's senior advisor on housing, budget, tax, homeland security, and foreign affairs for two years.

He returned to Massachusetts in 2004 and began his graduate studies at Tufts University, where he went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in Urban & Environmental Policy.

Keeping a promise he made at the start of his tenure in the Senate, Downing term-limited himself and announced in January 2016 that he would not seek a sixth term.