Out candidate Rich Madaleno has
released an ad in which he kisses his husband Mark Hodge.
Madaleno, a state senator, is
campaigning to be the Democratic nominee for Maryland governor. The
Democratic primary is June 26.
The ad, titled Take That, ran
Thursday morning in the Washington area on Fox News' Fox &
Friends.
“What's the number one way that I
piss off Donald Trump and the Republicans?” Madaleno rhetorically
asks before kissing Hodge on the steps of their Kensington home.
“Take that, Trump,” he
adds.
Madaleno and Hodge are raising two
children. They also appear in the ad.
In a press release, the LGBTQ Victory
Fund, which backs openly LGBT candidates, said that Madaleno's ad is
the first in U.S. history to feature an openly gay candidate kissing
his or her spouse.
“At a time when the White House and
other anti-LGBTQ politicians are attempting to erase our visibility
and roll back our rights, Rich Madaleno is boldly stating he’s proud
of his family and will fight for all Marylanders if elected,” said
Victory Fund CEO Annise Parker. “Not long ago, out LGBTQ people
were unable to run for statewide offices such as governor, but voters
now recognize there is an authenticity to LGBTQ leaders rarely found
in today’s politicians.”
If elected, Madaleno would become the
nation's first openly gay governor.