Ben Chipman
Member of the Maine State Senate for the 27th District
Assumed office
December 2016
Preceded byJustin Alfond
Member of the Maine House of Representatives for the 40th District
In office
December 2010 – December 2016
Preceded byHerb Adams
Succeeded byRachel Talbot Ross
Personal details
BornBrunswick, Maine
Political partyDemocratic (2015-present)
Unenrolled (2010-2015)
Green Independent (2002-2009)
Residence(s)East Bayside, Portland, Maine
Alma materUniversity of Maine
ProfessionCommunity organizer
Landlord
WebsiteCampaign website

Ben Chipman is an American Democratic politician from Maine. He is a member of the Maine Senate representing District 27, comprising part of Portland, Maine. Chipman served in the Maine House of Representatives from December 2010 until December 2016 as an independent,[1] and since December 2016 he has served as a member of the Maine Senate as a Democrat.

Early life and education

Chipman earned a degree in liberal arts[2] from the University of Maine in 1997.[3] His professional experience includes working as a community organizer and as a legislative aide,[4] and as of 2018 he was working as an independent notary for real estate closings.[2]

Political career

Chipman worked as an aide in the Office of the Clerk at the Maine State House beginning in 2002.[3] From 2009 to 2010, he served on Portland's Charter Commission, which was tasked with rewriting the city's charter, and from 2002 to 2006 he was a legislative aide to John Eder. Chipman was a founding member of the Portland Green Independent Committee.[5]

Maine House

Chipman first ran for Maine House District 119, representing Portland's Parkside, Bayside, and East Bayside neighborhoods, in 2010. Throughout his first term, he was the only independent in the Maine House of Representatives.[6]

In 2012, Chipman faced Herb Adams (politician), who had held the District 119 seat until 2010. He was re-elected with 54% of the vote, defeating Adams and Republican Gwen Tuttle.[7] He was joined by fellow unenrolled lawmakers Jeffrey Evangelos, Joseph E. Brooks and James J. Campbell in the Maine House.[8]

In January 2013, Chipman, Brooks and Evangelos met with Governor Paul LePage to discuss balancing the state budget. During the meeting, LePage grew agitated, used profanity and abruptly exited.[8]

Chipman was re-elected to the Maine House in 2014, receiving nearly 60% of the vote in a three-way race.[4]

On September 4, 2015, Chipman announced that he was joining the Democratic Party. He stated that one of his priorities was to hold LePage accountable for his behavior, and by joining the majority party in the Maine House of Representatives, Chipman would be in a better position to accomplish that goal. He was one of three members of the Maine House who requested an investigation of LePage for using $530,000 of taxpayer funds to pressure a private school into firing their new president, a political rival of the Governor. The state's Government Oversight Committee unanimously voted to launch the investigation, and Chipman led an effort to impeach LePage.[9] In January 2016, Republican House Speaker Ken Fredette's motion to preempt the impeachment was debated and the debate was tabled indefinitely.[10]

Maine Senate

After a contentious Democratic primary in 2016,[11][12], Chipman won 53% of the vote in the Maine Senate District 27 three-way general election, and he was re-elected in 2018, 2020 and finally 2022.[4]

In April 2021, Chipman introduced LD #1123, "An Act To Authorize a Memorial to the Victims of COVID-19" authorizing the Capitol Park Commission to erect a monument to honor Maine victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

Personal life

Chipman was a 2021 board member of Amistad Peer Support and Recovery, a Portland nonprofit.[14] He lives with his partner, City Councilor and former MGIP chairperson Anna Trevorrow.[15]

Electoral results

Maine House

2010 Maine House District 119 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Ben Chipman 1,113 54.2%
Democratic Jill Barkley 941 45.8%
Total votes 2,054 100.0%
2012 Maine House District 119 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Ben Chipman 1,904 54.2%
Democratic Herbert Adams 1,287 36.7%
Republican Gwendolyne Tuttle 320 9.1%
Total votes 3,511 100%
2014 Maine House District 40 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Ben Chipman 1,567 57.8%
Democratic Herbert Adams 959 35.4%
Republican Mark Lockman 186 6.9%
Total votes 2,712 100%

Maine Senate

2016 Maine Senate District 27 Democratic Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Chipman 1,778 53.0%
Democratic Charles Radis 797 23.8%
Democratic Diane Russell 777 23.2%
Total votes 3.352 100%
2016 Maine Senate District 27 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Chipman 14,929 67.2
Green Seth Baker 3,712 16.7
Republican Adam Pontius 3.562 16.0%
Total votes 22,203 100%
2018 Maine Senate District 27 Democratic Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Chipman 6,014 100.0%%
Total votes 6,014 100.0%
2018 Maine Senate District 27 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Chipman 14,858 74.9%
Independent Crystal Canney 4,975 25.1%
Total votes 19.833 100%
2020 Maine Senate District 27 Democratic Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Chipman 9,123 100.0%
Total votes 9,123 100.0%
2020 Maine Senate District 27 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ben Chipman 21,813 100%
Total votes 21,813 100%

References

  1. ↑ Legislature: Downtown Portland district sends Chipman to Augusta Archived December 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Forecaster, November 2, 2010
  2. 1 2 Billings, Randy (7 October 2018). "Crystal Canney looks to unseat Benjamin Chipman for state Senate seat". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Senate District 27: Ben Chipman". Maine Senate Democrats. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Benjamin Chipman". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Shepherd, Michael (3 December 2019). "The Green Party was a minor force in Maine politics. This activist could help revive it". WGME. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Bell, Tom (17 August 2010). "Ben Chipman to run for House District 119". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Long, Robert (7 November 2012). "Democrat ousts incumbent Farnham in pricey Bangor state Senate race". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  8. 1 2 Stone, Matthew (21 January 2013). "LePage swears, storms out of meeting with independent House members, lawmakers say". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Cousins, Christopher (4 September 2015). "Independent Maine lawmaker joins Democrats". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Whittle, Patrick (14 January 2016). "Maine governor calls failed impeachment effort 'foolishness'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  11. ↑ Shepherd, Michael (15 June 2016). "Ben Chipman Wins Contentious Democratic Primary". Maine Public. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  12. ↑ Schalit, Naomi (20 July 2016). "Portland primary election challenges lead to proposed changes in campaign law". The Maine Monitor. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Associated Press (27 April 2021). "Maine eyes creation of COVID-19 memorial". WABI. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Board of Directors". Amistad Peer Support and Recovery. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Bio". Anna for Portland.
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