U.S. Senate Candidate Comes Out

Jim Neal, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina, came out this weekend during an online chat on the liberal political blog BlueNC. When asked if he was gay, Neal replied, "I am indeed." Neal is running against Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

There has never been an openly gay U.S. senator.

Saying he does not want to be known as "the gay candidate", Neal added, "I'm not running this race to make some social statement. I'm running to lead in the Senate for the voters in NC - something Sen. Dole has not done."

A North Carolina native, Neal, 51, has worked in information technology, including a stint as CEO of RXMarketplace.com. In 2000, he founded The Agema Group, a financial advisory firm based in Chapel Hill.

Neal's campaign site make no mention of his sexual orientation or of his positions on issues important to the LGBT community. He is unmarried with two sons, one living with him at home and one working in New York City.

This will be very interesting.

UPDATE: Here's the online chat with Neal on BlueNC.
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