John Elias Baldacci was elected governor of the state of Maine in 2002 and was sworn into office on January 8, 2003. He is the first Democrat to hold the position in 16 years.
Governor Baldacci was born and raised in Bangor. He was first elected to public office in 1978, when he won a seat on the Bangor City Council at the age of 23. While working at the family restaurant in Bangor, he earned a B.A. in history from the University of Maine. During this time he learned much about the opportunities and challenges facing Maine's small businesses. In 1982 he was elected to the Maine State Senate, where he served until 1994.

In 1994, Baldacci was elected to represent the Second District of Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also took his family business on the road, serving spaghetti suppers in little towns tucked away in the massive Second District, the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi. At these charity dinners he did something rare in politics. He listened.

And Governor Baldacci is a patient listener. The concern he showed was proved genuine through his consistent problem solving and benefits gained for his constituents.
Re-elected to Congress in 1996, 1998, and again in 2000, Baldacci served on the House Agriculture Committee and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Through this committee work, he was involved in many decisions important to Maine's natural resource-based economy. During his four terms in the U.S. House, he returned every weekend to meet people throughout the district. He heard the need to strengthen Maine's economy and worked to increase value-added processing, so products are worth more when they leave our state. He expanded trading opportunities for Maine businesses. He worked to increase federal funding for research and development at Maine schools and hospitals, and he secured more federal dollars for Maine transportation.

In Congress, John Baldacci focused attention on economic development issues -- working to support value-added processing in Maine, to expand trading opportunities for Maine businesses, to increase federal funding for research and development, and to obtain more resources for the state's transportation network. He also sought to change our government -- working for a balanced budget, a ban on lobbyist gifts, and enactment of campaign finance reform legislation.

Fighting tirelessly, Governor Baldacci has focused his efforts through the years on education and economical development. He has helped expand access to technology in the classroom, reduced class size and increased federal government support for special education. During his many years in public service Governor Baldacci has fought to change government, working for a balanced budget, a ban on lobbyist gifts and campaign finance reform legislation.

Governor Baldacci's leadership and hard work have been recognized by a variety of organizations. In particular, his legislative and personal efforts on behalf of children, senior citizens and small businesses have been widely noted. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association presented their annual award to John in 1997 for his work to preserve federal fuel assistance for seniors and low income families. The Congressional Youth Leadership Council has commended him for his diligence in promoting education and civic responsibility, and NASA has selected him for its Small Business Assistance Award. Additionally, Governor Baldacci received the Big M award from the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C. for his dedicated service to the people of Maine in 2000. He was also recognized by the American Humane Association for his efforts to protect children.

As a Congressman, Baldacci returned each weekend to Bangor, where his wife, Karen, a grammar school teacher and registered dietician, and their son, Jack, lived in the house John and Karen bought when they were first married just out of college. Since being elected governor, the Baldacci family has taken up residence in the Blaine House, the governor's official residence in Augusta. They are the first First Family to do so since 1986.