Former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman: I'm gay



Credit: Getty Images

By Felicia Sonmez

Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the former campaign manager for George W. Bush's 2004 re-election bid, has told his family and colleagues that he is gay, according to The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder.

From Ambinder's report:

"It's taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life," Mehlman said. "Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I've told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they've been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that's made me a happier and better person. It's something I wish I had done years ago."

Mehlman, who headed the RNC from 2005 to 2007, becomes the highest-profile national Republican figure to come out as gay.

In the interview, Mehlman said that he reached the decision to come out in part because he would like to play a greater role as an advocate for same-sex marriage.

He added that earlier this year, he participated in a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, an organization that has fought the Proposition 8 ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in California. An appeals court ruled earlier this month that the ban will stay in place until December, overruling a federal judge's decision that the ban was unconstitutional.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, a prominent Republican lawyer, has been leading the legal fight against Proposition 8.

Mehlman acknowledged to Ambinder that had he been open about his sexuality earlier, he might have tried to push back against parts of the national Republican agenda, including efforts by former Bush adviser Karl Rove in 2004 and 2006 to put same-sex marriage initiatives on the ballot in states across the country:

"It's a legitimate question and one I understand," Mehlman said. "I can't change the fact that I wasn't in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally." He asks of those who doubt his sincerity: "If they can't offer support, at least offer understanding."

Michael Steele, current chairman of the Republican National Committee, issued a statement of support for Mehlman. "I am happy for Ken," Steele said. "His announcement, often a very difficult decision which is only compounded when done on the public stage, reaffirms for me why we are friends and why I respect him personally and professionally."

Clarke Cooper, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, which is suing the federal government to block the military's "don't ask, don't tell" law, said that the organization welcomed Mehlman's decision.

"Log Cabin Republicans is very supportive and appreciative of Ken's coming out," Cooper said. "Being gay and being conservative are not mutually exclusive. As a fellow Bush alumnus, I also look forward to Ken helping me and our colleagues build a stronger more inclusive Republican Party."

Ed O'Keefe contributed to this report.

Related:

House Republicans bringing in the big bucks

Ted Olson's conservative argument for gay marriage

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