John Jenkins is a Maine politician. He served as mayor of Auburn and separately mayor of Lewiston. He was also the first African American to serve in the Maine State Senate. In August 2010, Jenkins announced his write-in candidacy for the Governor of Maine. Jenkins was elected Mayor of Auburn as a write-in candidate, a first for the City of Auburn. In the 2010 Maine gubernatorial election, Jenkins ran as a write-in candidate in an attempt to be Maine's first African-American governor, but was defeated by Paul LePage, who had a plurality.