James D. Libby (born November 14, 1960) is an American politician, college professor and author from the state of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. A Republican, he served as a member 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 1992 to 1996, then as a member of the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the st ...

from 1996 to 2000, before losing the 2002 Republican gubernatorial nomination to

Peter Cianchette Peter Ernest Cianchette (born June 25, 1961) is an American diplomat, businessman, politician and former United States Ambassador to Costa Rica from 2008 to 2009. He was elected to the Maine House of Representatives and served there from 1996 to ...

. Libby was the first candidate in the United States to qualify for a gubernatorial campaign as a "clean elections" candidate. He ran for the

in 2010, but lost the general election to the eventual Clerk of the Maine House of Representatives, Robert Hunt. He was again elected to the

in 2022 to represent the 22nd district. The district includes parts of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

counties. He is a candidate for Governor of Maine in the 2026 election. Libby has authored several books and articles, including "Super U: The History and Politics of the University of Maine System, and "Buxton, A Postcard History." He has been appointed to several board and commissions by Republican, Democrat, and Independent governors, including as a trustee of the Maine Community College System. He resides in Standish, Maine, with his wife, Jennifer (Peternel) Libby, daughter Grace, and son Brett.

Committees

Libby currently serves on two committees: the committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, and the committee on Senate Conduct and Ethics.

References

1960 births 21st-century members of the Maine Legislature Living people Maine Republicans Nasson College alumni People from Standish, Maine Republican Party Maine state senators Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives St. Bonaventure University alumni University of Maine alumni {{Maine-MESenate-stub