First Lady Michelle Obama has backed
Maine gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud, who if elected would
become the nation's first openly gay governor.
In a speech delivered Friday, Obama
told a University of Maine audience that Michaud was the best
candidate for the job.
“So whether it's strengthening the
economy, or expanding access to health care, or ensuring that women
get equal pay for equal work, Mike will wake up, and as he said,
every day ready to fight for hard-working families,” Obama
told a crowd estimated at 1,500.
Michaud leads incumbent Republican
Governor Paul LePage by just two points, according to a Portland
Press Herald poll published last month. Independent
candidate Eliot Cutler is trailing a distant third.
Michaud, who served six terms in
Congress, came out gay last year.