Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) came out Monday in a column he released to three of his state’s major news outlets.
Michaud is running for governor of Maine in 2014, and would become the first openly gay governor. His opponents’ personal attacks against Michaud, the congressman says, influenced him to come out.
{mosads}“So I wasn’t 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,” he wrote.
“Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: ‘Yes I am. But why should it matter?’ ”
He becomes the seventh member in the House who is openly gay. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who is also gay, congratulated Michaud on Twitter Monday morning.