Democrat Mike Michaud on Tuesday lost
his bid to govern Maine and make history as the nation's first openly
gay governor.
Michaud conceded defeat to incumbent
Republican Governor Paul LePage shortly after midnight.
“It has been a tough campaign and I
know you are as disappointed as I am,” Michaud told supporters,
according to the Portland
Press Herald. “But now it is time for all of us to put our
difference aside and work together. This election is over but the
hard work of building a better tomorrow continues.”
“It was a hard-fought battle,” he
said of the tight race. “We have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Michaud, who served six terms in
Congress, came out gay in an op-ed last year in response to what he
described as an ongoing “whisper campaign.”
The Maine race attracted national
attention and outside groups spent millions. The Press Herald
called it the “most expensive gubernatorial race in state history.”
Michaud's campaign was endorsed by LGBT
rights groups the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the Gay & Lesbian
Victory Fund and Equality Maine.
Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the
Victory Fund, said the campaign was his group's top priority this
election cycle.