Ben Chipman is an American Democratic politician from Maine. He is a member of the Maine Senate representing District 27, comprising part of Portland, Maine. Chipman served in the Maine House of Representatives from December 2010 until December 2016 as an independent, and since December 2016 he has served as a member of the Maine Senate as a Democrat. Early life and education Chipman earned a degree in liberal arts from the University of Maine in 1997. His professional experience includes working as a community organizer and as a legislative aide, and as of 2018 he was working as an independent notary for real estate closings. Political career Chipman worked as an aide in the Office of the Clerk at the Maine State House beginning in 2002. From 2009-2010, he served on Portland's Charter Commission, which was tasked with rewriting the city's charter, and from 2002-2006 he was a legislative aide to John Eder. Chipman was a founding member of the Portland Green Independent Committee. Maine House Chipman first ran for Maine House District 119, representing Portland's Parkside, Bayside, and East Bayside neighborhoods, in 2010. Throughout his first term, he was the only independent in the Maine House of Representatives. In 2012, Chipman faced Herb Adams (politician), who had held the District 119 seat until 2010. He was re-elected with 54% of the vote, defeating Adams and Republican Gwen Tuttle. He was joined by fellow unenrolled lawmakers Jeffrey Evangelos, Joseph E. Brooks and James J. Campbell in the Maine House. In January 2013, Chipman, Brooks and Evangelos met with Governor Paul LePage to discuss balancing the state budget. During the meeting, LePage grew agitated, used profanity and abruptly exited. Chipman was re-elected to the Maine House in 2014, receiving nearly 60% of the vote in a three-way race. On September 4, 2015, Chipman announced that he was joining the Democratic Party. He stated that one of his priorities was to hold LePage accountable for his behavior, and by joining the majority party in the Maine House of Representatives, Chipman would be in a better position to accomplish that goal. He was one of three members of the Maine House who requested an investigation of LePage for using $530,000 of taxpayer funds to pressure a private school into firing their new president, a political rival of the Governor. The state's Government Oversight Committee unanimously voted to launch the investigation, and Chipman