Grohman to challenge Pingree in 1st District as independent
Courtesy / Marty Grohman
Rep. Marty Grohman, an independent second-term state legislator, today launched his campaign to represent Maine's 1st Congressional District, a seat held by Democrat Chellie Pingree since 2009.
Biddeford businessman Marty Grohman, an independent second-term state legislator, today launched his campaign to represent Maine's 1st Congressional District, a seat held by Democrat Chellie Pingree since 2009.
Mark Holbrook, a Republican who lost to Pingree in the November 2016, will also seek the 1st District seat in November.
In a news release announcing his candidacy, Grohman said his focus “will be to fix, not fight.”
"Our nation faces enormous challenges, but Washington is too entrenched in party gridlock to effectively address them," said Grohman. "Government should not just lurch from crisis to crisis. The partisan fighting is exhausting for the public. We need a new approach. We need our elected officials to come out of their partisan corners, sit down together and work out real solutions. That’s why I’m running for Congress."
Grohman is in his second term as state representative for House District 12, which covers Biddeford. A member of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, his legislative focus in Augusta has been on supporting business and entrepreneurship, addressing the opioid crisis and improving infrastructure.
Grohman is a chemical engineer and entrepreneur who grew up on a working farm in the western Maine town of Carthage. After working several years in the plastics industry, he pioneered a composite decking material and launched a successful building materials company in Biddeford. The company went on to employ 75 people and gross $30 million in sales.
After selling the company Grohman became executive director of sustainability for GAF, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, where he initiated a series of first-in-the-nation sustainability practices for the building materials industry.
He and his wife, Amy, and their two children live in Biddeford.
He is a two-time American Legion Legislator of the Year, an honorary life member of the Vietnam Veterans of America and won the 2016 President's Award from Maine Sheriff's Association. In 2017, he was named the Retail Association of Maine's Legislator of the Year and was ranked the most bipartisan member of the Maine Legislature.
Grohman said his candidacy was motivated by his desire to bring a nonpartisan approach to Congress.
“We need a government that works to solve the problems that are too big for any one individual to tackle,” he said. "Voters are frustrated. They can see that nothing is getting done. Instead of seeing solutions, they see gridlock, disrespect, partisan attacks and grandstanding. Government is doing the absolute bare minimum and not taking on the big problems. We need representatives who can cross the partisan divide."
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