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Sean Faircloth (born May 23, 1960) is an American writer, attorney and politician from
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. A Democrat, Faircloth is currently a member of the
Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...
from the 24th district following a 2025 special election. Previously, he served as the State Senator from the ninth district, State Representative from the 17th, 117th, and 118th districts, and as Mayor of
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...
. While in the legislature, Faircloth was appointed to the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. From 2006 to 2008, Faircloth was Majority Whip in the Maine House. Faircloth's first book published by Pitchstone Press, ''Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All - and What We Can Do About It'' was released in February 2012. His second book, ''The Enchanted Globe,'' a fantasy adventure story that teaches geography, was published in 2016. Faircloth had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum in 1996 and led the project from concept to completion in 2001. It was credited with sparking downtown revitalization. Maine Discovery Museum was then the second largest children's museum outside Boston in New England. In 2016, Environment Maine recognized Faircloth with a gold medal in the "Mayor's Climate Olympics" for his residential rebate program, "EnergySmartBangor".


Political career

Faircloth was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives from the 118th district, representing Bangor, in 1992. He defeated incumbent Republican Joseph A. Garland by a 65.9%–33.1% margin. In 1994, he would be elected to the Maine Senate from the ninth district, representing Bangor and Veazie, by a 56.4%–43.6% margin. He replaced
John Baldacci John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 73rd governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he also served in the United States House of Representatives from 199 ...
, who had been elected to the United States Congress that same year. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1996, instead running for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Republican William Cohen. Faircloth would come in second in the Democratic primary, getting 24.9% of the vote to former governor Joseph Brennan's 56.7%. Faircloth returned to the legislature in 2002, winning election to the 117th district, representing a portion of Bangor. He would be re-elected in 2004 and 2006, in the renumbered 17th district. During his tenure, Faircloth successfully spearheaded over thirty laws, including the so-called Deadbeat Dad child support law which was later incorporated into federal law. Faircloth had numerous legislative successes in children's issues and justice system reform. In 2016, Faircloth became mayor of Bangor. He proposed and led to creation ''EnergySmart Bangor'' for residents in July 2016 to help reduce energy costs as a residential rebate program. The organization ''Environment Maine'' selected Faircloth as the recipient of a gold medal in the "Climate Olympics," for his outspoken advocacy for renewable energy sources. ''Environment Maine'' is a "nationwide program that recognizes leaders who promote clean and renewable energy options." Mayor Faircloth initiated the Maine Multi-Cultural Center, securing the support of numerous businesses, in order to address the problem of loss of working-age population by welcoming New Americans. On January 27, 2018, Faircloth launched his campaign to become the next governor of Maine. On February 24, he dropped out of the campaign, citing his likely inability to receive public financing. He endorsed former House Speaker Mark Eves. On February 25, 2025, Faircloth made his return to electoral politics, winning a special election to the vacant 24th Maine House district, representing portions of Bangor, Veazie,
Brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...
, and Orono. He received over 70% of the vote.


Maine Discovery Museum

In 1996, Faircloth had the idea for the Maine Discovery Museum and led that project through completion of the $4.5 million facility in 2001.Bangor Daily News Special Supplement January 18, 2001 Maine Discovery Museum served as a lynchpin of downtown revitalization. Then-Congressman John Baldacci said that Maine Discovery Museum "restored the heart" to downtown Bangor. At that time, the Maine Discovery Museum was the largest children's museum outside Boston in New England. Capital Campaign Director Martha Dudman stated, "Sean Faircloth's determination and attention to detail is what has made this project as successful as it has been."


Children's advocacy

Faircloth led the creation of Maine's Healthy Start child abuse prevention initiative, and sponsored the first law making possession of child pornography a crime in Maine. "For his legislative accomplishments in the prevention of child sex abuse, and the healthy start child abuse prevention initiative, and for spearheading the deadbeat dad child support law," Faircloth was named Legislator of the Year by the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in 1995, and by the Maine Psychological Association. The deadbeat dad law was incorporated into a proposal by the
Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
.Bangor Daily News, July 20, 1994 Laura Fortman, then Maine Women's Lobby Executive Director, said of this law, "Sean took the lead in proposing his revised amendment to members of the Appropriations Committee, in disagreement with some members of his own party on the Judiciary Committee, demonstrating tenacity and leadership. This legislation provided essential economic support for low-income women and children." Maine's Chapter of the National Organization for Women said, "In his first term Sean Faircloth had a major impact on national public policy." Faircloth received the Outstanding Advocacy Award from the Maine Association of Community Service Providers (MACSP) in 2003, in part because Faircloth twice successfully opposed cuts to children's mental health programs. MACSP President Jan Fraser said to Faircloth, "If there was ever the case that one person can make a huge difference, you are living proof." Faircloth sponsored An Act To Enhance Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children, which increased pay and the number of teachers for these children, as well as paid for new equipment for education for the blind. In 2003 Faircloth initiated a first-in-the-nation policy improving school nutrition standards 24/7 in Maine K-12 schools, preventing sale of soda from school vending machines, and leading to removing "super-sizing" from schools. For his work on child obesity policy, Faircloth was invited to speak at conferences at Harvard Medical School, Yale University, and the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Kelly Brownell, listed in Time Magazine's 100 most influential people said, "The legislative actions Rep. Faircloth has proposed are among the most innovative in the country. I fully expect legislators to follow Sean Faircloth's lead." Because of these successes, Faircloth was named Legislator of the Year by the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 2003.Bangor Daily News, November 19, 2003 In 2004 Faircloth was appointed House Chair of a Sex Crime Commission to Improve Sex Offender Accountability, successfully enhancing penalties on fixated pedophiles while advocating moderation of sex crime registries.Kennebec Journal, February 19, 2004 In 2007 Faircloth was appointed House Chair of the Commission to Establish a Strategic Priorities Plan for Maine's Young Children, which created a prioritized plan regarding children's policy, and resulted in creation of the Maine Children's Growth Council. This Council, later designated Maine's Early Childhood Advisory Council, makes children's issues a top priority in law, emphasizing economic return on investment in early childhood.


Writing and public speaking

Faircloth's first book is titled ''Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All - and What We Can Do About It''. Faircloth said about the book, "we can believe rationally all we want. But we have to face up to reality: in the last thirty years we have seen the rise of theocracy in this country like we've never seen before. They've been tremendously successful on the religious right." The book focuses on the importance of returning America to its secular roots. Faircloth's goal is to motivate secularists to become as active as the religious right saying, "let's do that. Let's get that done, and change society for the better" by focusing on the harmful changes brought about by the religious right. Faircloth is hoping the book will be a "wakeup call to many liberal religionists" and create an alliance between skeptics, non-theists and many religious liberals who should all care about the harm done by religious bias in the law. The book "doesn't just offer a call o action but a plan to address it." In this review of the book,
Adam Savage Adam Whitney Savage (born July 15, 1967) is an American special effects designer and manufacturer, fabricator, actor, educator, television personality, and producer, best known as the former co-host, with Jamie Hyneman, of the Discovery Channe ...
from ''
MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...
'', writes: "There's not a doubt in my mind that if he was (suddenly, inexplicably) zapped back in time to meet Thomas Jefferson, that the Founding Father would clap him on the shoulder and say Thanks." Susan Jacoby,
Bill Nye William Sanford Nye (; born November 27, 1955) is an American science communicator, television presenter, and former mechanical engineer. He is best known as the host of the science education television show '' Bill Nye the Science Guy'' (1 ...
and JREF's
James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.#Rodrigues, Rodrig ...
also give glowing reviews. Richard Dawkins writes that this book is important "particularly as we approach America's 2012 elections. The trend toward theocratic thinking in the United States is a danger not only for America but for the entire world." In 2016, Faircloth published ''The Enchanted Globe'' which is a fantasy adventure story that teaches geography. The ''Maine Edge'' reviews the book and states that ''The Enchanted Globe'' is a "solid effort, telling an engaging story that will capture the imagination." ''BDN Maine'' calls it a "fast-paced adventure story... the story starts in Maine, features highly recognizable Maine people, places and things, and carries with it an overall spirit of the state and its inhabitants." Faircloth was a regular opinion columnist for the ''Bangor Metro Magazine'' from 2004 to 2009, and a columnist for the ''
Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig an ...
'' in the late 1990s. Because of his ideas about childhood obesity policy, Faircloth has spoken around the United States, including venues at
Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
,
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
,
Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...
, and the
Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...
. As Majority Whip, Faircloth was selected to welcome Presidential candidate Senator
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in this warm-up speech when the Senator visited Maine in 2008. Faircloth states "We want a candidate who goes beyond parties...thinks independently and seeks justice." In April 2014, Faircloth spoke at the Tree of Evolution's 'Science, Freethinking and Secularism' event in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
in Turkey. His lecture centered on Turkish secularism, Atatürk and the Erdogan government. At the time YouTube was banned in Turkey which made it difficult for the speech to be shared beyond the audience. It was finally uploaded to
DailyMotion Dailymotion is a French online video platform, online video sharing platform owned by Canal+ S.A., Canal+. Prior to 2024, the company was owned by Vivendi. North American launch partners included Vice Media, Bloomberg L.P., Bloomberg, and Hears ...
in June and according to Good Morning Turkey it was "shared through social media thousands of times, named 'Turkey from an American's point of view'." Faircloth has spoken around the United States regarding the U.S. Constitution, children's policy, obesity policy, and sex crime law. In 2013 Faircloth traveled to New Zealand and Australia, lecturing at the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
to start policy oriented secular groups, whose model can be duplicated in other countries.


Justice system reform

Faircloth graduated from the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
and the
University of California, Hastings College of the Law The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (abbreviated as UC Law SF or UC Law) is a public law school in San Francisco, California, United States. It was known as the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (a ...
. Attorney Faircloth worked in private law practice, served as an Assistant Attorney General, as Legal Counsel to the Maine State Senate, and lobbied on behalf of the Maine State Bar Association. He also taught courses within the University of Maine system, including Criminal Law, Criminal Evidence, Judicial Process, Administrative Law, Legal Controversies, Advocacy, as well as Legal Writing and Research. Based on his experience as a lawyer and Assistant Attorney General, Faircloth worked successfully for improvements in child support and child protective laws. Faircloth served on the Judiciary Committee six years and also initiated improvements in the Unfair Trade Practices Act and adoption law. The Judiciary Committee had jurisdiction over both abortion and human rights law. Faircloth voted strongly pro-choice, and favored equal rights for gay citizens. In ten years as a legislator, Faircloth voted 100% of the time with the Maine Women's Lobby. Faircloth served as House Chair of a Commission on the Citizen's Initiative Process in 2006, and also in 2004 chaired a Commission focused on addressing child sexual abuse. Faircloth received awards of recognition, including the 2006 Legislator of the Year Award from the Maine People's Alliance, the 2005 Excellence in Advocacy Award from the American Heart Association's Northeast Affiliate, and Legislator of the Year awards from the Maine Chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Software Developers Association.


Separation of church and state activism

He was Executive Director of the
Secular Coalition for America The Secular Coalition for America is an advocacy group located in Washington D.C. It describes itself as "protecting the equal rights of nonreligious Americans." The Secular Coalition has chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, composed of lo ...
from 2009 to 2011, advocating for separation of church and state, and for greater acceptance of nontheistic viewpoints in American life. His duties included advocating on
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...
and to the administration for a strong separation of church and state. He also worked with the Secular Coalition for America board to create a ten-year plan called Our Secular Decade. Faircloth has been active in the protection of the separation of church and State. While a sitting legislator, gave an opening "prayer" for the session that quoted, not scripture, but the book ''Freethinkers'' by Susan Jacoby, as well as
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
. Faircloth also advocates and speaks around the United States regarding secular public policy and the harm that he believes can come to average citizens if the secular nature of the American Constitution is not followed. In September 2011 he was appointed as Director of Strategy and Policy at the
Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS or RDF) is a division of Center for Inquiry (CFI) founded by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 2006 to promote scientific literacy and secularism. Originally a non-profit based i ...
. He was the opening speaker for Dawkins's 2011 and 2012 book tours. Dawkins speaks highly of Faircloth and says he "has a proven ability to strategize, organize, and energize -- qualities essential to making secularism a successful social movement... I want him out speaking far and wide." Faircloth's responsibilities included blogging on the RDF website as well as public speaking for secularism and "the dangers of theocratic laws, and the value of scientific policy". Faircloth has represented the Richard Dawkins Foundation on many radio shows including Catholic Answers Live and Wisconsin Public Radio.


Personal life

Faircloth is the father of three sons, the youngest, Declan was the unofficial editor for ''The Enchanted Globe''.


References


External links


Sean Faircloth discusses book ''Attack of the Theocrats''

Exclusive interview with Good Morning Turkey about his views on "Turkish politics, Erdogan government, corruption, secularism and the future of Turkey and United States."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faircloth, Sean 1960 births Living people Democratic Party Maine state senators Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Bangor City Council members Politicians from Orange County, California Writers from Orange County, California University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni University of Notre Dame alumni American skeptics Writers from Maine American atheists 20th-century members of the Maine Legislature 21st-century members of the Maine Legislature