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After being nominated for Speaker of the House, Fecteau is set to be the youngest politician and first out politician to hold the role.
After getting reelected to Maine's House of Representatives earlier this month, joining a sizeable "rainbow wave" of LGBTQ+ candidates, Ryan Fecteau is set to make history. Fecteau has now been nominated by the Democratic party to be the Speaker of the House. If elected by the full House in the general election next month, Fecteau will be the youngest-ever, as well as the first out gay politician to hold the role.
"I am humbled to receive the House Democratic nomination to serve as Speaker of the House," Fecteau, who is 28, wrote on Twitter of the news.
\u201cI am humbled to receive the House Democratic nomination to serve as Speaker of the House.\u201d— Ryan Fecteau \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Ryan Fecteau \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1605212180
Fecteau, who has served as the Assistant Maine House Majority Leader, is almost assured to be nominated to the post given that Democrats control the Maine legislature. He beat out Representative Seth Berry in the primary for the nomination and is set to replace Sara Gideon, who was term-limited. Gideon endorsed Fecteau, praising his "natural leadership capabilities." The full House will vote on December 2.
"Should I receive the support of the full Legislature, I pledge to do all I can to unite our members across parties and to improve the lives of Mainers from every corner of the state," he said in a statement. "I am proud of the work we did in the 129th Legislature, but there is so much more to do to help Maine businesses thrive, to expand access to health care, to provide students the best education and to support families."
Fecteau, who is entering his fourth term in office, sponsored the bill eventually signed into law that banned the use of the debunked conversion therapy practice on minors. This term will be his last consecutive term in the House as they are limited (he can run again after two years) and he has said that fighting the ongoing pandemic is his top priority.
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Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
