Maine Candidate Michaud Comes Out As Gay In Competitive Governor Race

Maine’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Mike Michaud, came out as gay Monday via a Portland Press Herald op-ed. The piece’s tone emphasized his pride in all facets of his identity, particularly his working class roots. Asking why his sexuality should impact his ability to lead, Michaud still expressed his hope that:

If seeing someone from my background, in my position openly acknowledge the fact that he’s gay makes it a little bit easier for future generations to live their lives openly and without fear, all the better.

The candidate then shifted the dialogue to focus on his desire to get the state of Maine “back on track.”

Historically, Michaud could be the nation’s first openly gay governor, or one of two as he joins Maryland Democrat Heather Mizeur as the only two openly gay gubernatorial candidates. The announcement also drew media attention away from Michaud’s main opponent, Republican Gov. Paul LePage, on the day before his planned Tuesday campaign launch.

The race remains competitive, with the latest polls showing Michaud with a 3-point lead over LePage, who has a 6-point lead over Independent Eliot Cutler. Some, including Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, Larry Sabato, believe coming out will win Michaud the votes of progressive college students who currently support Cutler.

Rep. Michaud currently represents the relatively conservative 2nd Congressional District, where last year 67 percent of voters cast their ballots for the Democrat, but 62 percent voted to reject Question 1, the citizen’s ballot measure that makes Maine the first state to pass same-sex marriage at the ballot box. The measure also attracted over $4 million in funding, about?four times the amount opponents raised. This may indicate a competitive funding edge to be gained from gay rights groups, despite Michaud’s desire to keep the issue away from the forefront of his campaign.

Edited by SS

Lindsay Jakows was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a 2012 graduate of Pepperdine University, where she organized a campaign for a recognized LGBT student organization on campus. After graduation she took a job with the Student PIRGs, organizing a student-run voter registration drive in Denver, CO and environmental campaigns in Western Massachusetts. Currently Lindsay resides in Northampton, MA, where she works for a local environmental non-profit. She enjoys coffee, cats, and Harry Potter. Her views expressed here are hers and hers only.