Craig V. Hickman (born December 8, 1967) is an American writer, farmer, and Democratic politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

currently representing

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

District 14. He served in the 126th

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 p ...

as the representative for Maine's 82nd district from 2012-2018. Hickman won his 2012

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

by nearly 80%, and campaigned on ending hunger, eliminating regulations for small farms and businesses, and investing in

sustainable energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...

initiatives. Hickman was elected to the Maine Senate in a 2021 special election, succeeding

Shenna Bellows Shenna Lee Bellows (born March 23, 1975) is an American politician and a non-profit executive director, best known for her work with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She is the 50th Maine secretary of state. On December 2, 2020 the Mai ...

Early life and career

Hickman was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, on December 8, 1967. He is of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

heritage. He attended high-school at Rufus King High School in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, where he was

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

. Hickman attended college at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, graduating in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in Government. He first ran for the Maine House in 2010, losing to incumbent Patrick Flood. In 2012 he won his primary election by a sizable margin, and then the general election on November 6, 2012, beating Republican Scott Davis 59%–41%. Two years later, in the midst of a Republican wave, Hickman won re-election against Republican Lee Fellman by a landslide margin, 65%-35%. Hickman spoke about his farm and announced the delegates earned by Joe Biden and

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

in the

2020 Maine Democratic presidential primary The 2020 Maine Democratic presidential primary took place on March 3, 2020, as one of 15 contests scheduled on Super Tuesday in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 presidential election, following the South Carolina primary the weekend be ...

at the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...

roll call.

Personal life

Hickman currently lives in

Winthrop, Maine Winthrop is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,121 at the 2020 census. Winthrop's population, however, approximately doubles during the summer months as part-year residents return to seasonal camps located on ...

, with his husband, Jop Blom. He is one of six openly gay members of the Maine Legislature, alongside Sen.

Justin Chenette Justin Chenette (born April 23, 1991) is an American politician from Maine. Chenette, a Democrat, formerly represented District 31 in the Maine Senate. Chenette made history at age 21 becoming the youngest legislator in Maine, and was one of fiv ...

(D– Saco) and Reps.

Matt Moonen Matt Moonen is an American politician from Maine. A Democrat from Portland, he was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2012. Moonen, who could not run for reelection to the House in 2020 due to term limits, was a candidate for M ...

(D–

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Ryan Fecteau Ryan Michael Fecteau (born September 18, 1992) is the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. A Democrat, Fecteau serves Maine House District 11, consisting of a portion of Biddeford. At the time of his election as Speaker of the House in ...

(D–

Biddeford Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

), Lois Galgay Reckitt (D– South Portland) and Andrew McLean (D– Gorham). He operates the 25-acre historic Annabessacook Farm Bed & Breakfast, where he regularly serves free meals to underprivileged citizens. Hickman also writes one of the top-ranked independent sports blogs on the internet, and is past President of the Winthrop Area Rotary Club. Hickman was seriously burned on July 10, 2018 while attempting to light a brush pile on fire.

Achievements

Hickman's book ''Fumbling Toward Divinity'' was a finalist in the Spirituality category at the

2006 Lambda Literary Awards The 18th Lambda Literary Awards were held in 2006, to honor works of LGBT literature published in 2005. Nominees and winners References External links 18th Lambda Literary Awards {{Lambda Literary Awards Lambda Literary Awards Lambda Lam ...

. In addition, he has received a fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a Gertrude Johnson Literary Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and a Spirit of America Foundation Award.

Books

* 1993: ''The Language of Mirrors'' * 1994: ''Rituals: Poetry and Prose'' * 2005: ''Fumbling Toward Divinity''

References

External links

Personal website

Huffington Post profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickman, Craig 1967 births Living people Harvard University alumni Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Maine Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin People from Winthrop, Maine Gay politicians LGBT state legislators in Maine American gay writers LGBT African Americans LGBT people from Wisconsin American male non-fiction writers Farmers from Maine African-American farmers 2012 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians American spiritual writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers Democratic Party Maine state senators 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people 21st-century LGBT people African-American male writers