Maine Rep. Mike Michaud on Monday came
out gay.
In
an editorial running in newspapers throughout Maine, Michaud, a
Democrat, responded to rumors about his sexual orientation.
“They want people to question whether
I am gay.”
“Allow me to save them the trouble
with a simple, honest answer: 'Yes I am. But why should it matter?'”
Michaud, 58, is hoping to unseat Maine
Governor Paul LePage, a Republican, next year. A recent poll found
Michaud about even with LePage, and independent Eliot Cutler coming
in third.
“That may seem like a big
announcement to some people. For me, it's just a part of who I am,
as much as being a third-generation mill worker or a lifelong Mainer.
One thing I do know is that it has nothing to do with my ability to
lead the state of Maine.”
“Most of all, I was brought up
believing you should judge a person based on the content of his or
her character, not by their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual
orientation. That's a value I know most Mainers share,” he added.
When asked by the AP, a spokesman
refused to say whether Michaud is in a relationship.
If elected next year, Michaud would
become the nation's first openly gay elected governor. In 2004, New
Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey announced that he's a “gay American”
and that he was resigning from his office. Heather Mizeur, a
Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates, is openly gay
and a candidate in Maryland's 2014 gubernatorial election.