Lesbian announces bid to become Maryland governor

Openly gay Maryland state delegate Heather Mizeur announced July 17 she will run for governor.

If elected, she would become Maryland’s first female governor, as well as the first openly gay or lesbian governor in the United States, according to the Washington Blade.

“Diversity is enormously important,” she told the Blade. “Not simply to have a gay governor, but to have a governor who can represent the voices of people in communities that have not always had a voice in the process.”

Mizeur will compete against two senior Maryland democrats, Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown and Attorney General Doug Gansler, to replace sitting Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley.

The gubernatorial election will take place in November 2014.