Maine’s Mike Michaud has a good chance to become the first openly gay governor elected to office in the U.S. The Democrat and U.S. Representative came out a year ago, in part to preempt a whispering campaign about his sexuality.
You’d think that gay donors would be falling all over themselves to help Michaud make history, particularly since he’s facing Paul LePage, a Tea Party favorite. To give you a sense of what LePage is like, he once said a Democratic state representative “claims to be for the people but he’s the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline.”
Given such a stark choice, you’d think the lavender dollars would be flooding into Michaud’s campaign coffers.
You’d be wrong.
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As it turns out, only one of the 32 activists and donors Human Rights Campaign board has contributed to Michaud’s campaign: Tim Gill, who has, to his credit, given the maximum.
Politico compiled a list of about 170 LGBT activists and donors, including people who bundled donations for the Obama campaign. To date that group has given Michaud a mere $19,600. Compare that to the 2012 Senate campaign for Tammy Baldwin, which collected $170,700 from the same group.
Steve Elmendorf, the chairman of the Victory Fund, the PAC that collects money for LGBT candidates, told Politico that Michaud “not a well-known figure in the community, obviously, because he wasn’t out.” (In fact, when Michaud came out, it caught some of the other openly gay members of Congress by surprise.) Michaud doesn’t have the deep connections to tap that other LGBT candidates, like Baldwin, can.
Michaud is a low-key candidate, and, putting aside the fact that he’s only recently out, has never been a high-visibility figure in D.C. Still, he’s running in a state where the religious right has been a strong (and obnoxious) presence, and his victory would break new ground for other LGBT candidates. Campaign contributions would be especially helpful, because the three-way race is tight. (The third candidate, attorney Eliot Cutler, is likely to siphon liberal votes from Michaud.)
Michaud is getting some help from the White House. Michele Obama will be stumping for Michaud in early October. Still, within the LGBT establishment, there seems to be more excitement about a long-shot candidate to replace retiring Attorney General Eric Holder: Jenny Durkan, a lesbian who is a U.S. attorney.
While that would be quite a milestone, Michaud is a lot closer to securing his goal. A little help from family–even if they are new-found–would go a long way.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article misspelled the third candidate, his name is Eliot Cutler.
jvcarroll
Heads up! You might want to mention the STATE where Mike Michaud is running in your article about the governor’s race…in MAINE. As of 3AM PST it’s only listed in the tags. Eeek!
Carlterweele
You might also want to ask Mike Michaud why he Voted 18 times against basic LGBT civil rights and on the 19th time when it finally passed he was one of 5 state senators that voted against. I think it would be a fair statement to say that Mike would have stayed in the closet had it not been politically beneficial to him to come out. Even in my darkest days in the closet I never wished harm or was in favor of violating human rights!!! Michaud has a evil soul.
QJ201
The unelected leaders of the gay cabal decided he isn’t worthy of supporting. The gay-lite is more focused on throwing money at candidates that have not chance in hell of winning (“the underdog”)…makes better PR and gets them more donations.
sfbeast
I read the article twice and the state is never mentioned. Great reporting.
sfbeast
@Carlterweele: Thanks for the info. As they say, with friends like that……
orcanyc
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I just made a donation, all the readers should.
reallygoodthings
Come on Queerty. Shoddy journalism. You don’t once mention the state he’s running in!! How stupid. Nonetheless, I’m going to make a contribution to his campaign now.
aliengod
You seriously think we should vote for him just because he’s gay? He’s got a horrible voting record. Besides, simply being gay doesn’t qualify someone for office. Grow up!
Cam
“”Steve Elmendorf, the chairman of the Victory Fund, the PAC that collects money for LGBT candidates, told Politico that Michaud “not a well-known figure in the community, obviously, because he wasn’t out.” (In fact, when Michaud came out, it caught some of the other openly gay members of Congress by surprise.)””
_________________________-
That would seem to be a responsibility of the large groups like HRC and others. Why aren’t they publicizing him?
However, it seems that he has consistently voted AGAINST gay rights. So then again, is it a problem for them not to be jumping on the bandwagon?
A Tea Partier as governor would be bad but if his voting record is true then I understand why there is not a lot of enthusiasm at this point.
DarkZephyr
@aliengod: Do you think the tea party candidate is the better choice?
Kieru
You should support politicians and organizations based on their ideologies matching or being compatible with your own; not on the off-chance you both prefer the same genitalia.
Bauhaus
@QJ201:
Oh, he’s a clever one. He voted NO for ENDA, thus garnering accolades from conservatives. His reason for not supporting ENDA (quietly) was it wasn’t inclutive enough (T).
When has this guy ever advocated for trans rights and protections?
Let’s be honest, when he voted NO, he and Barney Frank were so afraid of T, they both were clutching at their pearls and choking on thier dentures at the mere thought of the word.
Bauhaus
@ QJ201:
Oops, that was meant for:
@ Carlterweele
BJ McFrisky
@Kieru: How true. If people believe they should vote for someone simply because they have a specific personal trait in common, our society is doomed.
Bromancer7
Being gay doesn’t automatically mean you deserve to be elected. Do your homework and look at his voting record. He’s a horrible choice, and not someone that should be elected, gay or not.
hyhybt
I’ve been trying to think of a reason they might deliberately leave out the state; it seems like it would have been easier to include it than to write the article as-is. But I’m coming up empty.
DorothyZbornak
I’m from Maine and I’m not voting for Michaud. I don’t give a crap that he’s gay. Eliot CUTLER, whose name you didn’t get correctly in the article, is the stronger candidate. He’s also very LGBT friendly.
1898
Cutler is polling at 12%. He has no chance. He’s also never held elected office of any kind, and he’s done nothing for Maine during the past four years. I voted for him in 2010 but I will not be voting for him again. He keeps harping on how we need ranked choice voting, which I agree with, but how come he never once lobbied for it in Augusta between 2010 and today? He could have made a real positive difference, and he would have gained a mountain of support and goodwill. He chose not to.
LePage can’t win without Cutler in the race. It’s a statistical fact. LePage knows this, and Cutler knows it too.
LePage once said that transgender students shouldn’t be allowed in Maine’s public schools. Anyone who has any concern or compassion for the transgender community should be working tirelessly to defeat LePage. Supporting Cutler is the LAST thing transgender folks and their allies should be doing.
Tracy Pope
@BJ McFrisky: It seems to be working for tea party douches running for office. Of course I’m not implying that voting for someone because of who they are is the right reason. Only that if someone running says “I’m tea party” nearly everyone who identifies as tea party jumps on the bandwagon. We call them lemmings but we seem so splintered we’re unable to rally with the same degree of success. This might not be a popular idea with the readers of Queerty and some might say I’m over-generalizing. Maybe, but just a tad.
smittoons
Eliot Cutler isn’t as strong as he was 4 years ago, Michaud is the lesser of two evils. LePage is terrible, his idiotic and ill-informed statements make the state look like the Maine Justice SNL skits.
Paul Nadolski
Personally, I’m much more concerned about getting Pat Quinn re-elected Governor of Illinois, and keeping out his opponent, the homophobe billionaire Republican Bruce Rauner (the guy who belongs to the $140K wine club, has offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, led a nursing home company that apparently abused the elderly, wants to eliminate the minimum wage, and says he would have vetoed the gay marriage bill). Having said that, we should be supporting the possibility of an openly gay governor in Maine as well.
Silas Wegg
He’s not even cute
TheBigOne
Hello, DADDY!
manjoguy
“You’d think that gay donors would be falling all over themselves to help Michaud …” Hopefully gay Maine voters are savvy enough realize that the state does not need a Democrat governor right now. Maine seems to becoming like Massachusetts as a “welfare, tax and spend” state. I’m stuck living here in Massachusetts and wouldn’t want to wish what we have on any other state, believe me.
wpewen
When a friend of mine in Portland ME passed away back in the 90’s from AIDs his lover got involved with AIIDS fundraising in the area. Turned out that for all Maine’s progressive folk and nice gay community (I lived there) there’s actually quite a few very prissy East Coast queens who consider themselves to be firstly of the Brahmin elite of New England and tangentially maybe gay. They give nothing for anybody. If you’re used to California, where I’m from and now live. where people think nothing of giving to causes like gay issues, it’s a whole nother game. A lot of gay people work blue collar in Maine and can’t afford to give.
1898
@manjoguy: We’ve had a Republican governor for the last four years (LePage) and as a result we’ve had a slower economic recovery than every other state in New England. His constant tirades, outbursts, tantrums, insults, and possibly illegal actions are scaring away investors and business owners. His “Open For Business” sign at the ME/NH state line is a joke.
Why exactly are you “stuck” in Massachusetts? What’s stopping you from leaving?
Skipster
This gay donor was happy to contribute to Mike early on. He’ll make a great Governor. I’m more interested where he is now and how he’s grown, not how he was in the State Legislature representing a rural conservative French Canadian district. He’s employed openly gay staff, and his official coming-out was certainly not a surprise to anyone working the US House. As the ranking member of the House Veteran Affairs Committee, he’s been out front for all Iraqi and Afghan Vets and fair treatment for them and for repeal of DADT and any continuing discrimination in DCD.
Brian
The article’s title is an interesting question. But the article itself doesn’t even attempt to answer that question. Instead, you just expect people to donate money. If there are reasons people aren’t doing so, you either didn’t research the topic or you ignored all things you didn’t like learning. This is an op-ed, and a very lazy one. I’d rather hear about the candidate, his perspectives, and the issues. I’ll donate if he’s worthy; not because of the one word “gay.”
enlightenone
@DorothyZbornak: Makes SENSE to me!
tjr101
Judging from his voting record I don’t see any difference between him and your average self-loathing gay Republican.
enlightenone
@tjr101: Democrat in name only!
Will L
You kind of sound like those homophobes who think that people are sick deviants just because they are gay. You know, being gay doesn’t mean that you are automatically the best candidate.
DorothyZbornak
@1898: While Cutler has never been elected to office, he served in the Carter administration and under Senator Muskie where he helped craft the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. While we’re talking about action, let’s talk about “all” that Michaud has done in Washington. He wants to decrease the burden of student loans yet has not pushed for this and was silent when Elizabeth Warren took the lead on it. Come to think of it, I have not seen him lead any effort in Washington. The guy is a follower, not a leader. He even voted against the LGBT community on numerous occasions. He’s slimy and self-serving. He makes a good politician but I see right through him. He didn’t come out before this because he represented the more conservative northern district in Maine. Now that he’s running statewide where most votes come from the southern, liberal district, he thinks being openly gay will help him be elected? It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Say what you want about Lepage but I can at least respect him for his efforts to change Maine’s welfare system including drug testing and limits on how long one can stay on. I also appreciate his paying off millions of dollars in hospital debt that former Democratic governor Baldacci ignored. Granted he’s a complete wingnut and the negatives outweigh the positives, but I hope Mainers look at action and issues when voting this year and not a “feel good” story.
1898
You don’t need to sell me on Cutler. Like I said, I voted for him in 2010, and I voted for him because I genuinely thought he was the best candidate. I was a Cutler supporter before the rest of Maine had even heard of him. But he hasn’t done a single thing for Maine between 2010 and today. He’s done nothing to demonstrate that he deserves my vote a second time. The fact that he’s gone from 36% to 12% over the past four years is proof that he has failed to hold onto his base of supporters.
Skipster
“self-loathing”, “terrible Voting Record”….. It’s easy to actually check and see what his voting record on LGBT issues is. From the HRC Website- for the last dozen years:
112th Congress -95%
111th Congress -97%
110th Congress -85%
109th Congress 100%
108th Congress 95%
And I think I may not be a friend of this Dorothy. I was willing to assume that you were a real supporter of Cutler- honorable enough- glad he was in favor of all these good things. As a fellow congressional staffer, so was I. And I have the same chance of being elected Governor of Maine this year.
You may have the luxury of not being impacted by a 2nd LePage term- unlike seniors, working families, and the disabled. But your praise of the Gov- who’s considered a nutjob even at the RGA, gives away your game.
1898
It’s interesting (and by interesting I mean strange) that some members of the LGBT community get angry at other LGBT folks who didn’t emerge from the womb already out of the closet.
Congressman Michaud grew up in an extremely rural, extremely Catholic area — in the 1950s. Even as late as the ’80s and ’90s, discrimination and violence were frequently perpetrated against homosexuals in that part of Maine.
As a Mainer myself, I am not the least bit surprised, nor am I the least bit offended, that it took Congressman Michaud a long time to come out. The idea that he did so in order to boost his numbers is preposterous. Poll results show that he has actually lost a few points since he came out. The only way he would have benefited would’ve been to stay in the closet. Coming out certainly didn’t do him any favors. But I’m glad he was at a place in his life where he finally felt like it was safe to reveal that part of himself to his family as well as to total strangers.
How soon some of you forget just how difficult and dangerous it can be to come out.
enlightenone
“How soon some of you forget just how difficult and dangerous it can be to come out.” You are assuming that we forget! I didn’t. Move out of Maine; Don’t vote against our interests/Don’t be a politican! Last, grow some balls and be a man! Lots of choices…