William "Billy Bob" Faulkingham is an American politician and fisherman who has served in 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 12th district since 2022. A Republican, Faulkingham is the Minority Leader of the lower house, and previously served in the 136th district from 2018 to 2022.

Education and career

Faulkingham began

lobster fishing Lobsters are widely fished around the world for their meat. They are often hard to catch in large numbers, but their large size can make them a profitable catch. Although the majority of the targeted species are tropical, the majority of the glob ...

with his father at age three. He obtained a certificate in plumbing from the Southern Maine Technical College and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

from 1999 to 2002. Faulkingham is currently a self-employed fisherman. In

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, Faulkingham was elected to the

from the 136th district, and has served there since. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, he ran for the 12th district, winning 2,725 (60.4%) against

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate Roy Gott's 1,787 (39.6%). He was also elected House minority leader by fellow

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He was sworn in as both on December 7, 2022.

Bruce Poliquin advertisement

Faulkingham appeared in a television advertisement for former Republican congressman

Bruce Poliquin Bruce Lee Poliquin (; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Maine's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. Poliquin ...

's 2022 campaign to regain his former seat, in which he criticized incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Jared Golden Jared Forrest Golden (born July 25, 1982) is an American politician and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps veteran serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district since 2018 ...

. In the advertisement, he was not named or identified as a Republican state legislator seeking reelection, which became the subject of criticism. Poliquin's campaign said doing so was necessary to comply with Maine campaign finance laws with regard to Faulkingham's campaign.

Personal life

Faulkingham is a resident of

Winter Harbor, Maine Winter Harbor is a town on the Schoodic Peninsula in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 461 at the 2020 census. The town is located just outside the Schoodic Peninsula portion of Acadia National Park and is due east of th ...

. He is married to Carrie Faulkingham, and the couple have three children. In 2003, Faulkingham pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after throwing a bucket of

human feces Human feces (American English) or faeces (British English), commonly and in medical literature more often called stool, are the solid or semisolid remains of food that could not be digested or absorbed in the small intestine of humans, but has b ...

at other people. He was found guilty of driving under the influence in 2008. On September 15, 2023, Faulkingham's lobster boat capsized due to high seas ahead of Hurricane Lee, which would make landfall in nearby

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

the next day. He and one other person were rescued by other lobster boats.

Electoral history

Notes

References

External links

Billy Bob Faulkingham on Ballotpedia

Project Vote Smart – Representative William Faulkingham
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Maine House of Representatives
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Maine House Republicans
profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Faulkingham, Billy Bob 1978 births 21st-century members of the Maine Legislature American fishermen Living people Maine Republicans Minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives People from Hancock County, Maine Southern Maine Community College alumni