Billy Bob Faulkingham
William Robert Faulkingham is an American politician and lobsterman who has served in the Maine House of Representatives from the 12th district since 2022. A Republican, Faulkingham served in the U.S. Marines. He is the Minority Leader of the lower house. He previously served in the 136th district from 2018 to 2022.
Education and career
Faulkingham began lobster fishing 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 from 1999 to 2002. Faulkingham is currently a self-employed fisherman.
In 2018, Faulkingham was elected to the Maine House of Representatives from the 136th district. In 2022, he ran for the 12th district, winning 2,725 against Independent candidate Roy Gott's 1,787. He was elected House minority leader by fellow Republicans. 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's 2022 campaign to regain his former seat, in which he criticized incumbent Democrat Jared Golden. 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. 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 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 made landfall in nearby Nova Scotia the next day. He and one other person were rescued by other lobster boats.
He has been a member of the as a member of the Winter Harbor Masonic Lodge and the Knights of Pythias Schoodic Lodge.