Ross LaJeunesse, the openly gay Biddeford, Maine native and former Google executive vying for US Senator Susan Collins seat this November, ended his campaign in late March, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I cannot ask my supporters to continue working hard, to continue making financial contributions, to continue volunteering, to continue advocating for my campaign when the country is focused on an unprecedented health and economic crisis, and when the type of campaign I planned, meeting voters where they live and work and speaking person to person, is impossible,” he wrote in a statement announcing his withdrawal from the race.
LaJeunesse—who’d also served as advisor to US Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell and Senator Edward Kennedy and held leadership roles in the California state government—had been endorsed by Victory Fund, the national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office.
As LaJeunesse said in his statement:
I am proud of the impact our campaign has had: releasing a comprehensive technology reform agenda, traveling across the state to meet Mainers in their communities, earning significant national media attention, highlighting the stories of Mainers who are being left behind despite working hard and playing by the rules, and running as an openly gay man with my husband by my side.
But now the question is how best to achieve my original goal for this campaign: ensuring that Susan Collins is defeated. For me, the answer is to withdraw from the primary and endorse Sara Gideon.
I have tremendous respect for Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman. They care about Maine and our country, and are running for the right reasons.
This is also true of Sara Gideon. I admire Sara and her years of service to the people of Maine. She has served us well in Augusta and I am confident she will represent us well in Washington. I also know that Sara is the only Democrat who can beat Susan Collins. So I will do whatever I can to ensure that she wins in November and that she becomes Maine’s next United States Senator.
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