Escape Goat
Member
Anybody other than LePaige would be a great candidate. Having no knowledge of Michaud's stances I'm hesitant to base support on his party affiliation or sexual orientation, but it would be an historic first. And in Maine of all places. But unfortunately LGBT advocates haven't been donating to the man for some reason
And this is his editorial in which he "comes out"
Michael Michaud is poised to make history: Leading Maines gubernatorial race six weeks before Election Day, the Democratic congressman would be the first openly gay candidate ever to become governor of a state.
Michaud, who came out as gay in a newspaper column last November, has gotten there with precious little help from the nations most elite LGBT donors and professional activists.
For all the formal endorsements he has collected in his quest for the governorship, Michaud has been conspicuously shortchanged by many of the wealthiest and most influential gay donors in Democratic politics. Far from becoming a pathbreaking cause célèbre, he has plainly not enjoyed the overpowering financial support of the community that helped fuel President Barack Obamas reelection in 2012 and made Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin the first openly gay senator in history.
Dozens of prominent gay bundlers for Obamas campaign, including Evercore Partners Charles Myers and Newswebs Fred Eychaner, have given nothing to the Maine lawmaker, according to the most recent state finance records. Gay and straight Hollywood kingpins who have bankrolled marriage equality lawsuits, including producers Bruce Cohen and Rob Reiner, have kept their checkbooks closed.
Of the 32 activists and donors who sit on the board of the Human Rights Campaign, only one has donated to the man currently positioned to become Americas only gay governor. Wealthy Colorado gay rights activist Tim Gill has maxed out to Michaud, but he is an exception that helps prove the rule.
Its a startling oversight on the part of a community renowned within the Democratic coalition for its political energy and fundraising prowess. More than anything, Democrats and LGBT leaders say, its an illustration of the short shrift progressive donors typically give to state-level elections as well as Michauds own status as a new arrival within the gay political community.
Locked now in a close race against firebrand Republican Gov. Paul LePage and center-left independent Eliot Cutler, a wealthy attorney, Michaud says hes encouraged by the grass-roots support of gay Mainers and more modest donors whose names dont show up in Forbes.
In an insular state where outsiders are sometimes referred to as people from away, Michaud said in a weekend interview that local support means more than anything in a race like this one.
Our focus has been in Maine, Michaud said, rejecting the notion that some national liberals have overlooked the significance of the race. Weve heard story after story from individuals both inside the state and outside the state that it really made a big difference in their lives. It is historic and it already has made a big difference.
Steve Elmendorf who chairs the board of the Victory Fund, a political committee that raises money for gay candidates said Michaud was not a well-known figure in the community, obviously, because he wasnt out prior to running for governor. The influential D.C. lobbyist said it would be significant to notch a win in Michauds rural, relatively traditional state.
Hes becoming better known, and I think youll see more people, as we head into the fall, giving him money, said Elmendorf, who has contributed $3,000 to Michaud. Hes from a blue-collar, rural background. For the LGBT movement to be successful, that kind of story is what were going to have to replicate in a lot of places.
On paper, Michaud commands support from a list of prominent pro-LGBT advocacy groups, including the HRC, LPAC and the Victory Fund, the last of which has bundled a considerable sum for the congressmans campaign.
As a matter of dollars and cents, its clear that Michaud faces a significant LGBT fundraising gap. From a list of about 170 LGBT and gay rights-oriented activists and donors compiled by POLITICO Obama bundlers, board members and donors to major gay rights groups and political action committees Michaud has collected only $19,600.
That averages out to about $114 per donor (Michauds campaign announced in July that the average donation from all contributors was about $78.)
When Baldwin ran for Senate in 2012, the total was almost 10 times $170,700, or nearly $1,000 per person.
The deficit, according to Michaud supporters and LGBT operatives, is a function of several factors that have all converged in Maine: Liberal donors are usually less interested in state elections than in federal elections, unlike their conservative counterparts. And Maine is no longer a prime gay-rights battleground, with same-sex marriage and other LGBT legal protections firmly ensconced there as the law of the land.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/...014-maine-elections-111226.html#ixzz3E9hkJCCa
And this is his editorial in which he "comes out"
When I entered the race for governor, I did so because I love the state of Maine and am tired of seeing it dragged in the wrong direction. There was never any question that it would be a tough race, but I know I have the vision, the experience and the commitment to lead Maine forward.
Once I jumped to an early lead in the polls, I knew it was only a matter of time before individuals and organizations intent on re-creating the uncertainty that led to our current governors election three years ago would start their attacks. Already my opponents have tried to blatantly distort my support for a womans right to choose and my tireless commitment to our nations veterans.
So I wasnt surprised to learn about the whisper campaigns, insinuations and push-polls some of the people opposed to my candidacy have been using to raise questions about my personal life. 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?
That may seem like a big announcement to some people. For me, its just a part of who I am, as much as being a third-generation millworker 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.
Whether I was punching a time clock at Great Northern Paper Co. for 29 years, serving the people of Maine in the state Legislature, or fighting for our nations veterans on the Veterans Affairs Committee, my personal life has never factored into how I do my job.
Thats certainly not going to change if Im elected governor. While Ive grown and evolved over the course of my career, Ive never lost sight of where I came from.
My father worked in the mill for 43 years; my grandfather before him for 40 years. I was the second of six children, and from a young age our parents instilled in us the values of hard work, integrity and honesty.
Most of all, I was brought up believing you should judge a person based on the content of his or her character, not by his or her race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Thats a value I know most Mainers share.
I first got into public service because the mill where I worked was polluting the Penobscot River, which ran through my hometown. I ran for the state Legislature to clean up the river, and thats exactly what we did.
Since then, Ive devoted my career to fighting for all men and women in Maine, working across party lines to increase access to affordable health care, support our brave servicemen and women, protect American jobs and grow Maines economy through investment in research and development and clean, renewable energy.
Growing up in a large Franco-American Catholic family, its never been in my nature to talk about myself. I write this now merely to let my opponents and the outside interests who fund them know that I am not ashamed of who I am. And if seeing someone from my background, in my position, openly acknowledge the fact that hes gay makes it a little bit easier for future generations to live their lives openly and without fear, all the better.
I dont plan to make my personal life or my opponents personal lives an issue in this campaign. Weve had enough negativity in our politics and too many personal attacks over the last few years. We owe it to the people of Maine to focus on how we get our state back on track.
We need to create an economy that works for everyone; expand access to affordable health care; invest in our infrastructure to help Maines businesses, farms and fisheries expand to new markets; and ensure that all children regardless of where they live have access to a world-class public education.
We need to remind people here and across the globe that Maine is a wonderful place to live, go to school, raise a family, start a business and retire.
Now more than ever, we need a leader with the experience and temperament to bring people of different ideologies Democrats, Republicans, independents and Greens; CEOs and labor leaders; sportsmen and conservationists together. Thats something Ive spent my entire career in public service doing, and its what I will continue to do if elected by the people of Maine to be your next governor.
I plan to run a positive campaign that focuses on finding real solutions to the challenges we face, not just empty platitudes and old ideas repackaged in new rhetoric. The people of Maine deserve more than that. They deserve a governor they can be proud of.
I know this campaign will not be easy. I know I cant do it alone. But Im confident that our collective power can overcome the rancor and divisiveness threatening to pull our state apart. And that if we move forward, together, Maines best days are still ahead of us.
