Kenneth Wade Fredette (born March 3, 1964) is a former 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 ...

. Fredette is a Republican. In 2012, he was elected Minority Leader of the Maine House. Fredette announced in June 2013 that he would not enter the 2014 race for the Republican nomination for Maine's Second Congressional District, citing family concerns. Fredette announced his candidacy for governor of Maine on September 6, 2017. He was elected to the State House again in

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Early life and education

Fredette was born in rural Maine on March 3, 1964, as one of five children in his family. In 1982, he graduated from East Grand High School in Danforth, Maine as class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

. Fredette earned a B.S. in accounting from the

University of Maine at Machias The University of Maine at Machias (UMaine Machias or UMM) is a satellite campus in Machias, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System, and it is the only regional degree-granting campus of University of Maine. The institution was f ...

in 1987. He received a J.D. from the

University of Maine School of Law The University of Maine School of Law (UMaine Law or Maine Law) is a Public university, public law school in Portland, Maine. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is Maine's only law school. It is also part of the University of Ma ...

in 1994 and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

in 2010.

Non-partisan career

Fredette has been a Tribal Prosecutor for the Penobscot Indian Nation. He is currently a practicing attorney, and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, where he serves as a Judge Advocate General.

Political career

Prior to 2010

In 1985, Fredette was an intern for United States Senator

Warren Rudman Warren Bruce Rudman (May 18, 1930November 19, 2012) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Hampshire from 1980 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, he was known as a moderate centrist, to su ...

. In 1987 and 1988, he was on the campaign staff of presidential candidate

Robert Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his ...

, including being the New England Regional Youth Coordinator. In 1990, he was the field director of the campaign to re-elect

Maine governor The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is Ja ...

John McKernan Jr. John Rettie "Jock" McKernan Jr. (born May 20, 1948) is an American politician who served two terms as the 71st governor of Maine, from 1987 to 1995. Born in Bangor, Maine, McKernan attended Dartmouth College and then the University of Maine Scho ...

. Fredette was unsuccessful in his legislative races prior to 2010: In District 125 of the Maine House of Representatives, in 1996 and 1998; in District 33 of the Maine State Senate, in 2004; and in District 28 of the Maine State Senate, in 2006.

2010 to present

In his freshman term, 2011–2012, Fredette served on the Maine Legislature's budget-writing Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. After being elected as House Republican Leader in November 2012, Fredette introduced bills requiring

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF ) is a federal assistance program of the United States. It began on July 1, 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, providing cash assistance to indigent Ame ...

applicants to prove that they have applied for at least three jobs and eliminating the ability of DHHS caseworkers to use discretion in applying penalties to TANF recipients. He opposed the expansion of Medicaid in Maine. He also sponsored a bill that allocates funds for the use of electronic monitors on defendants in

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

cases. Fredette commented in the Maine House on potential expansion of

medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

on June 12, 2013. He referenced the book ''

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus ''Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus'' (1992) is a book written by American author and relationship counselor John Gray. The book states that most common relationship problems between men and women are a result of fundamental psychological ...

'', contrasted a man's brain with women's, and questioned whether the proposed Medicaid expansion was "really free". Fredette apologized during the afternoon session in a speech on the House floor. Fredette endorsed Sen.

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

for President in the 2016 election on July 2, 2015, while also announcing he would appear with Rubio in a

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

parade in

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was grant ...

. He was also named the Rubio campaign's Maine chairman.

Personal

Fredette resides in

Newport, Maine Newport is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,133 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town's borders surround the shoreline of Sebasticook Lake. History The town was se ...

and has two children. He is a past president of the board of directors of Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union.

References

External links

House Republican BiographyREP. KEN FREDETTE
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fredette, Kenneth 1964 births Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people Minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives People from Newport, Maine Politicians from Washington County, Maine University of Maine at Machias alumni University of Maine School of Law alumni 21st-century members of the Maine Legislature Politicians from Penobscot County, Maine