Ben Chipman Politician

Ben Chipman (born August 18, 1975) is an American politician from Maine. He was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2010 by defeating Democrat Jill Barkley in District 119.Chipman ran as an independent candidate but had formerly been a longtime activist with the Maine Green Independent Party, Maine's affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. The seat had previously been held by Herb Adams but Adams was unable to run again due to term limits. In 2012 Adams resurfaced to challenge Chipman in an attempt to win back his former seat. Chipman was re-elected with 54% of the vote, defeating former Democratic state legislator Adams and Republican Gwen Tuttle.Chipman was also a member of Portland's Charter Commission, which rewrote the City Charter. He worked in the Legislature from 2002-2006 as legislative aide to John Eder, also of the Maine Green Independent Party. During his first term, Chipman was the Maine House of Representative's only independent. In 2012, fellow unenrolleds Jeffrey Evangelos, Joseph E. Brooks and James J. Campbell joined Chipman in the Maine House.