MAINE: Openly Gay Rep. Mike Michaud Loses To Incumbent Gov. Paul LePage

Michaud would have been the nation's first out-at-election governor.

MAINE: Gov Race Polling Wildly Conflicts

Three new polls on Maine's gubernatorial race show wildly conflicting results.

A new poll has found Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) with a wide lead over the rest of the field. The new Maine Sunday Telegram/Portland Press Herald poll found LePage leading Rep. Mike Michaud, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the race, 45 to 35 percent among likely voters. Independent candidate Eliot Cutler, meanwhile, got 16 percent with 4 percent undecided. The poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center among 639 likely voters between Oct. 15 to 21. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Then there's this new poll:

The latest poll of the Maine governor’s race by Portland-based firm Pan Atlantic SMS shows Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democrat Mike Michaud tied at 40 percent, with independent Eliot Cutler at 13 percent. Pan Atlantic polled 400 voters between Oct. 15-21. The survey’s margin of error was 4.9 percent. The poll is similar to many others that have been released over the last several weeks, except this one seems to show a shift of support away from Cutler and toward Michaud. Pan Atlantic conducted a poll between Sept. 23-29 – prior to the start of the debates – that showed LePage at 39 percent, Michaud at 34 percent and Cutler at 20 percent. That means that, in less than a month, Michaud has gained 6 percentage points, Cutler has lost 7 and LePage has virtually stayed the same.

And this new poll:

Public Policy Polling’s newest Maine survey finds that after three televised debates, the race for governor is still a very tight contest between incumbent Paul LePage and Democrat Mike Michaud. LePage and Michaud each have 40%, with Eliot Cutler trailing at 17%. Trailing by 23 points with only 11 days to go until the election, there is virtually no way Cutler can overtake LePage and Michaud. But by splitting the anti-LePage vote, the support Cutler is pulling from Michaud could be just enough to reelect LePage in this razor-thin contest.

The final line above will be the story. If elected, Michaud would become the first out-at-election-time governor in history.

MAINE: First Lady Endorses Openly Gay Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Michaud

Via the Bangor Daily News:

First Lady Michelle Obama had a clear message for supporters of gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud attending a rally at the University of Maine on Friday: Get out to vote and bring like-minded people with you. “Barack won because of record numbers of women and minorities and young people who showed up to vote,” she said, referring to President Barack Obama’s winning campaigns in 2008 and 2012. “When the midterms came along, too many of our people just tuned out,” she said. “That’s what folks are counting on on the other side this year.” Michelle Obama appeared before an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,500 people at the Collins Center for the Arts.

Michaud, who came out in November 2013, is a six-term member of US House and the former president of the Maine Senate. If elected he would become the first state governor to be out at the time of his election. A Portland Herald Press poll released two weeks ago showed Michaud leading incumbent Gov. Paul LePage by two points.

MAINE: Gay Gubernatorial Candidate Grand Marshal's Portland Pride Parade

Via the Associated Press:

A Democratic candidate who reluctantly made public his homosexuality last year found himself serving as the grand marshal of Maine's biggest gay pride parade and festival Saturday and urged activists to continue fighting to eliminate discrimination and promote equality. Mike Michaud, who would become the nation's first openly gay person to be elected governor if he unseats Republican Paul LePage in November, said it would be powerful for the gay community to have a seat at the table in discussions with governors across the country on equality issues. "Maine has come a long ways and our nation has come a long ways, but there's still a long way to go," he said in an interview before he marched alongside a white convertible down the roughly milelong route in downtown Portland.

MAINE: One Step Closer To A Gay Gov

Yesterday's Maine gubernatorial primary was a mere formality as both major parties ran uncontested candidates, but openly gay six-term US Rep. Mike Michaud is now one step closer to becoming the nation's first governor to have been out at the time of his election. Michaud, who came out in November 2013, will face incumbent GOP Gov. Paul LePage in the general election. Recent polls show Michaud and LePage in a dead heat. Michaud's departure from Congress will leave six openly gay members in the House.

RELATED: Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey was elected in 2002 and came out in scandal in 2004, resigning several months later.

US Rep. Michael Michaud Comes Out

Via Chris Geidner on Buzzfeed:

Rep. Mike Michaud, a Maine Democrat, told residents of the state he is hoping to govern that he is gay on Monday in op-eds running in newspapers across the state. Running for governor in 2014, Michaud told residents he “wasn’t surprised to learn about the whisper campaigns, insinuations and push-polls some of the people opposed to [his] candidacy have been using to raise questions about [his] personal life.” Then, he got specific, writing, “They want people to question whether I am gay.” And, he responded, “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, it’s just a part of who I am, as much as being a third-generation mill worker 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.”

Read Michaud's full essay here.