What’s the best way to celebrate Pride Month while irritating President Trump at the same time?
For Richard Madaleno, a Democrat who is running for governor in Maryland, the answer was obvious: feature a same-sex kiss in a campaign ad.
That’s exactly what Madaleno did, in an ad that first aired during Fox & Friends on Thursday morning. According to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, his same-sex on-air kiss was the first in a political TV campaign ad.
The ad begins by featuring ways in which Madaleno has stood up to Trump. “Here are a few of the things that I’ve done that already infuriate him,” Madaleno says.
He goes on to feature several examples, ending by saying, “And what’s the No. 1 way I piss off Donald Trump and the Republicans?” He then kisses his husband Mark Hodge, adding, “Take that, Trump.”
If Madaleno is elected, he could add another first to his roster of accomplishments: he would be Maryland’s first openly gay governor. He already was the state’s first openly gay member of the General Assembly.
According to a recent poll, Madaleno is in fourth place in the gubernatorial race.